Pictures can communicate things that sometimes words struggle to convey. By seeing a simple picture players can understand what a place looks like, who is there, and perhaps, who built it. Pictures provide a sense of emotion. They draw players in and immerse them in the world. Visual components are a vital part of...
When Gandalf and the fellowship arrived at the entrance of the Mines of Moria, the Doors of Durin stopped their progress. Gandalf stepped forward and translated the Sindarin text: The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter. I, Narvi, made them. Celebrimbor of Hollin drew these signs. Gandalf initially misunderstood these...
Words are the basis of Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence (VL). And words are the basis of every role-playing game. Players and game masters work together using words to create worlds and the characters that happened to those worlds. As this is the case I assume that nearly everyone at the table has at least some modicum...
When role-playing, you and your players can enter into a thousand different fantastical worlds and inhabit the lives of a million different people. This variety opens role-playing games to a diverse group of people. Yet, how do you address the different player types and play styles of such a motley group? As a game...
As player characters wind their way through your imaginary world, you (the game master) seek to keep them on the edge of their seat. You want to introduce intense encounters and heart-pounding battles. But how do you create that tension in your game, and what does it have to do with a rubber band?...
Okay, so you have gathered your friends together to sit down and play an RPG, like Dungeons and Dragons or Call of Cthulhu. You have a comfortable space and everyone has their characters, dice, and snacks. The curtains of your imagination will soon open and the game will begin. But how do you start...
What is a GM Notebook? It would be so much easier to Game Master if we could just keep everything in our heads. But the world of a GM is constantly moving and that makes it hard to always remember every little thing. We gamers are fond of butchering a statement made by Helmuth...
In looking at the methods that Game Masters use to keep themselves organized, I was intrigued by what types of things they were recording. Their records could be broken up into two groups: 1) current adventure plans and preparation and 2) a collection of ideas for future adventures. Focusing on the idea side, I...
During my Vaesen RPG game last week, I attempted to focus on Theater of the Mind (TotM). To put it simply, it was a fiasco. What made my efforts go down in flames? Perhaps my greatest mistake was that I neglected the visual. Humans are visual beings. And our ability for spatial understanding varies...
In a convention game, time is limited. How do I help each player have a chance to be in the spotlight? John Barth explained that everyone is the hero of their own story. Your players want their character to be a hero too. You can make that happen by giving their character the spotlight....
