Learning new games can be difficult at times. More complex ones especially require that you take the time to really digest the rules and work with the other players to ensure everyone understands how to play. Tabletop role-playing games aren’t much different in that regard. And sometimes that process of learning the rules can scare…
No one likes getting bogged down when you’re playing a tabletop RPG. The players don’t quite know how to act or what choices to make. And likewise, the GM/DM doesn’t quite know how best to setup the players to continue the story. So today’s Worldbuilding Monday advice is all about how to improve your story’s…
Tabletop RPG GMs/DMs have a lot to manage when they’re facilitating stories. And sometimes, when things aren’t going their way, frustration can build and boil over to railroading and over-punishing players. Today’s GM Advice is all about how shifting your mindset from being the table’s leader to the table’s guide can exponentially improve everyone’s experience…
Tabletop RPG stories contain countless journeys. From the main plot, to epic side quests, to the journeys for each individual player character, the tapestry of the story is made up of these finer threads. Today’s post for TTRPG newbies focuses on player characters’ journeys. And how, just for investing in that experience, their characters have…
Great, lasting relationships are built on the foundation of shared experiences. Whether it’s the couple who have been married for fifty years, or a group of best friends since childhood, or even a long-running team in sports, the foundation of the experiences that they’ve shared form the strength and depth of their relationships. Marriages, friendships,…
Conflict is the beating heart of most stories. And in tabletop stories/RPGs, there are the three traditional pillars of solving story dilemmas: combat, subterfuge, and diplomacy. Tabletop role-playing games have historically incentivized combat by making those components fun & exciting. Taking their roots from war-gaming, the hyper-tactical nature of combat is the core of a…
What the heck is a character sheet, anyways? It’s one of the first questions I get when a new player joins the table. Those of us who have been playing tabletop RPGs for awhile tend to take questions like these for granted – why would someone who’s never played before know what a character sheet is!? So…
A tabletop role-playing game story is not a straight line between points A and B. There are many twists and turns, some planned for, some completely unforeseen. Some come from you, the worldbuilder and GM, and other directions dictated by the players. Each change in direction has the opportunity to be a significant tangent in…
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…