The Mind’s Eye, our mental canvas of limitless possibilities. And for tabletop role-playing games, the platform for our shared story experiences. This theater of the mind empowers us to collectively share and, in many ways, concurrently experience art, music, stories…any shared part of the human creative diaspora. “A stout bush sits atop a tall mountain,…
Being a new player can sometimes be an intimidating experience. You’re often surrounded by folks who know exactly what to do when, where, how, and why. So when the GM turns to you and says “It’s your turn,” it’s all on you now to act – and that can be scary! So today’s post explains…
In their tabletop RPG story, the players need to feel there’s a harmony between the traditional TTRPG yin and yang: role-playing (RP) and combat. The ratio between these two sides of the tabletop RPG coin form the foundation of great played stories. So today’s worldbuilding advice digs deeper into the GM’s options with that combat/RP…
When you’re the GM of a tabletop role-playing game, it’s pretty standard to expect that the players’ characters will come with various degrees of backstories. Some will be short and sweet and others complex, and full of twists and intrigue. Either way, the onus will be on you, the GM, to integrate various aspects of…
We hear about “getting into a groove” all the time, whether it’s becoming a new parent, starting a new job, or learning a new skill. As we get to know the ins-and-outs of what’s so new, our experience helps us more fluidly navigate its nuances. The same pattern holds true for playing stories. So today’s…
Planning your campaign’s first session brings some pressure along for the ride. You want all the players to really enjoy the story. And perhaps most of all, you want everyone to be excited about playing the next session. So today’s worldbuilding advice aims to help GMs outline their goals for their campaign’s first session so…
To commemorate the conclusion of the Isaiah the Gray tabletop role-playing game story my brother and I have been playing off and on for a little over a year, I am including the whole story thus far here. At its core, Isaiah the Gray is a Star Wars story, heavily inspired by Knights of the…
Whenever I’m talking with a group of people who are just learning about playing stories for the first time, the topic of speaking as one’s character invariably comes up. “Do I have to speak in their voice?” “Do I have to say what they would say?” etc. So today’s newbie Tuesday post helps give prospective…
No matter the planning or effort you put into your tabletop RPG worldbuilding, when the story is actually played, it’s not going to exactly follow that planned path. So for those times when the story doesn’t quite go as planned, today’s Worldbuilding Monday post focuses on creating a bank of backup scenes to have ready…
The characters in your tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) story are likely to encounter all sorts of obstacles and opportunities. Whether they’re epic battles, heartbreak, or perhaps summiting your world’s tallest peak. But no matter what those milestones in your story look like, it’s crucial that the theme, meaning, and choices of/during those experiences have an…