This week Christopher Becker came on to talk about running set-piece encounters. Those points in your game where you take some special care to prepare. Do you break out special terrain or miniatures? Do you prepare a big speech for the BBEG to deliver? Do you treat every moment as a set-piece lovingly created for …
Continue reading “Episode 44 — How Do You Prepare Set-piece Encounters?”
Do you share your GMing secrets with players after each adventure? Or do you hang on to them in hopes of re-purposing them? With Chris back at the helm as co-host, we follow this topic into some unexpected places, including the merits of re-running adventures and the importance of information asymmetry in RPGs.
What’s the key to making NPCs who are memorable, interesting, and possibly even beloved by the players? Chris, Andy, and John discuss. And as a bonus, Andy breaks out a brand-new GM challenge for his co-hosts. Listen and judge their on-the-spot GMing decisions!
Special guest (and former host) Chris joins Andy and John to talk about what you can do when you’re just not feeling very excited about your game.
Do you like running games set in established, well-defined settings? Do you prefer coming up with setting details on the fly? Something in between? John and Andy talk through the big topic of finding or building the right setting for your game. Episode 40 appendix (show notes): RPG Alchemy Fate Condensed Dungeon World Swords Without …
Continue reading “Episode 40 — How Do You Build or Choose a Setting for Your Game?”
What does fear look like when it crops up in your games, horror or otherwise? How can you use fear to motivate player characters and make for a fun, tense game? John and Andy discuss.
What role do maps play in the games that you run? While Chris is taking a few weeks of parental leave, Andy is joined by guest co-host John Corey to discuss the wonderful topic of maps. Note: the audio quality on this episode is a bit lower than our usual standard, for which we apologize; …
Continue reading “Episode 38 — How Do You Use Maps in Your Game?”
What do you do when a character in your game bites the dust? If character death happens, how do you work it into your campaign, and how do you address the topic with your players? Andy and Chris discuss this notoriously tricky subject.
Are the dungeons in your game mysterious, exciting experiences, or dull, slow-moving grinds? Andy and Chris are joined by John Corey to discuss ways you can inject a little bit of that “Indiana Jones” vibe into your dungeons.
Do you wince at the thought of roleplaying through a long journey? You’re not alone. Chris and Andy chat about what makes the difference between a travel sequence that is tedious, and one that adds something compelling to your campaign.
