There are an infinite ways to respond to another infinite number of inputs; neither you or I want to see an article that long so…. Let me start by abstracting things completely (well almost). Whenever a player affects play, as a gamemaster, you have basically two choices, indulge or contest. (I believe you can work [...]

It is having fascinating world, scenarios and characters? Being able improvise, but not railroad? Perhaps if one lets players act whenever / however they like? I’m a big proponent for keeps things moving; is that it? Maybe a perfect gamemaster can handle a split party with perfectly equal spotlight time? Memorizes all the rules? Is [...]

Inspire the Unplanned For those of you who think this sounds like ‘plan the unplanned’, have I got a deal for you! If you keep in mind a few basic ingredients, and your games will be smoother, looser and more driven by what the player personae do. It really breaks down to a few elements: [...]

Hi! I thought I’d start off my gamemaster tips with a few simple, but central, ideas. Pacing, Pacing, Pacing I’ve given this advice for years without complaint. This has got to be the most important thing a gamemaster does. In fact, by my experience, if you have players who’ll ‘do their own thing’, this is [...]