What do we mean when we say rewards beyond loot? Not just money, treasure or magic items. Let’s give a few examples and it’ll be clear. ## Non loot rewards (01:24) Some examples: - Land  - Titles - Association (part of a guild/group/etc) - House / Place to live - Renown  - Something personal - Narrative power ## GMs - What can we do with non treasure rewards (09:33) Why should we use Rewards in our game? - Used for character development - Flash out the setting - Connect the characters to the setting - Give players a chance to expand on what interest them in the setting - Allow a sens ..read more

What is an information dump? When a large amount of information is dumped upon the players. Mostly tedious information. Here are some ways to make dumping information more interesting. Show, don’t tell (00:26) This is the most basic and fundamental principal. Don’t just tell things.  - Effects: Think what will be the result of the information you want to say and present the results. Don’t say “there is a dragon up north”. Let the party discover burned bodies and abandoned villages”. Information as entertainment (07:40) Sometimes the delivery of the information can be entertaining by itsel ..read more

In today's episode we talk about two very different aspects of information management. I have good news and bad news: the bad news is that most game systems have some really iffy bits that somehow managed to get past the playtest phase or just not suited to your game and that sucks, the good news is that you don’t have to use them. Sometimes a part of the game mechanics does not suit your game. **There are several ways to deal with this issue, you can:** - Remove a mechanic from the system - The GM can obfuscate mechanic from the players - e.g. do all the calculations on their own, like grappl ..read more

What makes a player character compelling? # Uri’s take (01:04) What makes a player character compelling? - They don’t snugly fit into a stereotype. We’ve talked about avoiding stereotypes and cliches in the past ([Episode 2 - avoid character cliche](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/avoiding-character-cliches-episode-2-35aab600eb0406/)). And it’s fine to build on a stereotype, actually many RPGs railroad us to fit into some stereotype in order to conform with the trope of the genres that they are aiming at. In D&D it’s difficult to create a smart fighter because your class often pigeonholes you ..read more

Both Eran and I have been playing a lot of the video game XCOM lately. Even though it is NOT a roleplaying game. Still, even though it is not a roleplaying game - there is a lot we can learn from it. What is XCOM? ------------- A series of computer games. Started in 1994 with X-COM enemy unknown and many sequels. Rebooted in 2012 with XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Would you like to know more? What's interesting about XCOM? ------------------------------ - XCOM knows what it is and what it's trying to do, and goes about it in a direct mannar. - It has a strategic layer and a tactical layer - You always ..read more

Disclaimer: this is a comedy episode, any and all advice must be treated as such We are joined with our technical dwarf Aviv Icel Manoch! ## Aviv Or - How do you handle a monster strike? I had a session once where a young black dragon simply refused to fight, just handed us a leaflet about the challenge rating struggle and encouraged us to support some new Random Encounter Union. ## Di - How many kobolds do you think a single adult red dragon could eat in one sitting before it gets indigestion? ## Aviad Tal - What genre we don't see enough of in TTRPGs? - What is the best way to get rid of a m ..read more

A quick disclaimer: Eran LOVES running published modules, Uri… no so much. Also, we are talking about published adventures, not published campaigns. There are some differences that we won’t get into. ## Picking an adventure (03:57) Use the fact that other people read it: - You can read ratings, reviews and comments. This will help you pick a good adventure. - Some excellent sources might be: [DrivethruRPG.com](https://www.drivethrurpg.com?affiliate_id=29668), [RPG.net](https://www.rpg.net/) or [EN World](https://www.enworld.org/). ## Getting to know the adventure (09:27) - Read the whole thing ..read more

In this episode we will recommend some GM-less games that are fun to play and easy to play around the table as well as online. ## Microscope (02:29) A world building game by Ben Robbins Easy and fun to play even with just two people. [http://www.lamemage.com/microscope/](http://www.lamemage.com/microscope/) [http://www.lamemage.com/store.html](http://www.lamemage.com/store.html) You might also like to check out: Kingdom: [http://www.lamemage.com/kingdom/](http://www.lamemage.com/kingdom/) Follow: [http://www.lamemage.com/follow/](http://www.lamemage.com/follow/) ## For the Queen (07:30) A card ..read more

Today's episode we will be talking about ways that the GM can make their players feel uplifted.  ## How Uri uplift his players spirit (01:05): Every once in a while I do an “uplifting session”. That is a session whose entire purpose is to make the players feel uplifted. When? After the end of an adventure for example, to let the players experience the results of their actions. Another great time for an uplifting session is after gaining new levels, abilities or status, as a way to let the players test out their new powers and abilities.  How to create the sense of an uplifting moment ..read more

We got this short and to the point email from Peter: Hello, I'm not saying that my players are not smart, but... How do you make your players feel smart when you're running a game? Good question! Uri’s suggestions (02:46) There is a difference between making players feel smart and making players actually act smarter. This of course is also true for any other emotion that you want your players to experience. Target characters, not players: Use the mechanics. Players don’t need to be smart. The characters may be smart. “Smart” usually have mechanical definitions - use them. NPCs reactions: makin ..read more