They’re inexpensive, portable and hold up well – so why don’t more gamers and GMs use them? Almost every role-playing game lends itself to their use. Spellcasters can put spell information on them while those that use weapons can use them not only to list their weapons but also any special features and ammunition. They’re…
Keeping your players off guard is helpful in building suspense and also keeps them guessing as to what’s coming next. The most common ploy to do this is to simply roll a die or two behind your screen and smile at the players, but why not take it up a notch. Pick a player at…
Running an effective and enjoyable campaign requires a lot of organization. Many GMs have volumes of information about the campaign they’re running–maps, NPCs, histories, cultures, the list goes on. Unfortunately, all that information can be unwieldy when running a session. Even worse, you can’t remember what information you’ve already given the players, the plot line…
No matter what role-playing system you end up playing there’s always a need to come up with names for people and places. Instead using the old standbys (like baby books or the name of a character from your favorite book) why not try something different – an anagram. For those not familiar with the term…
Instead of handing out an XP bonus for outstanding play or contributions consider giving out a token instead. Your tokens can all be of equal value or as in my case I have three ‘levels’ of value as I use poker chips with my group. Then later these tokens can be redeemed for any variety…
There are a number of things you can do to speed up combat, or any other dice rolling action for that matter, the most common way is to roll your dice ahead of your turn. I know a number of players that do this and it’s great as long as your GM will allow it….
