The Internet heaps tons of pressure on dungeon masters. The chatter is all about balancing encounters, creating massive worlds, crafting villains, planning epic plots, and developing stories that rival the greatest literature in the world. Let’s be clear: if the dungeon master is supposed to be Shakespeare, then the players had better be Patrick Stewart, […]
Watch the YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/XYjmvQZ-y7Q It aired on November 9, 1987, and is the eighth episode of the first season. It currently boasts an IMDb rating of 6.0 and is entitled “Justice.” The Enterprise encounters an Eden-like planet. However, Wesley Crusher is condemned to death for an incredibly small infraction. The episode was directed
Dungeons and Dragons Tips from Star Trek: The Next Generation According to IMDb, with a rating of 5.8, that episode is “The Child.” It originally aired on November 21, 1988, and is the Season 2 premiere. Counselor Troi is impregnated by an alien entity that unwittingly puts the Enterprise in danger. The premise of this
Four Dungeons and Dragons tips from Star Trek: The Next Generation’s fourth worst episode. I use the IMDb rating for these videos, and this episode clocks in with a rating of 5.7 out of 10. The episode is entitled “Man of the People.” It is Season 6, Episode 3, and originally aired on October 3,
D&D Tips From Star Trek (Video Transcript) Four Dungeons and Dragons tips from Star Trek: The Next Generation’s third worst episode. That episode, according to a rating of 5.1 on IMDb, is “Code of Honor.” It is the fourth episode of the first season and originally aired on October 12, 1987. Personally, I think there
DnD alignments have been around since the beginning but they are also controversial. Much ink has been spilled building up or tearing down alignments. One of the best breakdowns and explanations of DnD alignments I have ever read is The Major’s Guide to Alignment available on the DMs Guild. The concept of alignments has been
In Dungeons and Dragons, one of the staples of gameplay is running your players through dungeons. I mean, it’s right there in the name. The first “D” in D&D. Experience running dungeons is critical for dungeon masters. Plus dungeons are great fun. They provide a contained environment, constant mystery or peril, a drag on resources,
Technology has obviously become a huge part of our modern lives. Gamemasters should embrace it, especially if you are not prepping for sessions. Technology provides role-players a lot of helpful options when we’re at the gaming table. Let’s use everything at our disposal to help us create better RPG sessions and campaigns. PowerPoint in TTRPGs
Another important resource at the gamemaster’s disposal that usually goes overlooked is to listen to the table. What I mean by that is as your players talk while they are at the table, listen to what they say. The players tend to talk about everything. They discuss their plans. They mull bits of information their
Running an RPG session without prepping can certainly lead to mistakes. However, I made a ton of mistakes even when I spent hours prepping. A gamemaster should never be afraid to retcon. Backtracking a bit to set something right is perfectly acceptable and players should understand that the even best GMs make mistakes. If You
No-prep GMing can be very rewarding. However, one of the biggest pitfalls can be names. Coming up with exciting people and place names on the spot can be the death of even the best gamemasters. The main trick to not having every NPC named Bob or every town named Springfield is to have lists of
Creating a world for an RPG campaign does not have to be a solitary experience. A lonely gamemaster sitting at a computer desk creating reams of material dreaming of friends who actually want to play role-playing games as desperately as he does is not a healthy state of being. Have your players help you create
If you are creating your own setting for an RPG campaign there are some keys to not losing your mind. Let me back up to say worldbuilding is a ton of fun. That’s why it is easy for some gamemasters to get a little out of hand. We are looking for an outlet for our
Gamemasters sometimes you need time to think during a session. Other times you need a place to start your campaign or session. If you are playing Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder or another combat heavy tabletop RPG, you’re in luck. Combat is a great stalling tactic as well as a great place to start an RPG
A gamemaster needs situations and complications, not huge epic stories and plotlines. For the no prep GM this is where that catalog of stories we talked about comes in handy. Don’t think of a plot Don’t think of an event follows another event or that event is triggered by this event. Once your players begin
