Award-Winning GMing Advice
Gnome Stew won the silver ENnie Award for Best Blog in
2011 and
2010 -- thank you for your support! Online since 2008, we've published
1,183 articles packed with GMing tips and advice, as well as
two books for GMs. Our
top 30 articles make a great starting point for new readers.
"I check Gnome Stew every day." -- Monte Cook
"fantastic blog for game masters, dungeon masters, and rpg fans" -- Wil Wheaton
"If you aren’t reading Gnome Stew, you’re missing out." -- Wolfgang Baur
Admittedly I didn’t pay much attention in college during my undergraduate studies but during my graduate degree it was a different story entirely. In particular, my classes on organizational communication lined up shockingly well with some GM and gaming theory. In particular, discussions on the five bases of power. While I don’t like to slot people into particular roles and buckets, the bases of power can help a ...
Experience tends to be the defining metric when discussing whether someone is a good or great GM. That precious commodity that’s measured in years, campaigns, or game systems. It’s also something that gamers new to being behind the screen tend to focus on too much. The reality being that within every to-be GM is a great game trying to get out.
I’m a proponent of the gamer lifecycle, a ...
Need a spiffy map for you game and are strapped for cash? Want to make it large and visible, but don’t have a plotter at home...or the dough to have your local printshop take care of it for you? Provided you’ve the source art—or access to a community willing to share—here’s a low-cost way for you to manufacture maps, maps, maps to your hearts content!
If you’re like me—good ...
Having no intention of running a game in 2012, I did not craft an entry for our New Year, New Game event -- hopefully you did! -- so imagine my surprise walking out of last week’s game discussion with a new campaign to plan. Did I mention it’s based on a licensed property that I’m only passingly familiar with and two players who dwarf my knowledge? Oh, and ...
There’s a decent chance you haven’t heard of this CBS drama—recently voted the People’s Choice “Best New...”—so we’re not sure how long it will grace our screens beyond its first season. But the question remains, who will help you if your number comes up?
Person of Interest stars Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson as Mr. Reese and Mr. Finch, respectively. Mr. Finch has built a top secret machine fed ...
The most common descriptions used to build a memorable NPC focus on their visual appearance, unusual quirks and mannerisms, or perhaps a voice or accent. In a few rare cases other senses, such as smell (seriously, I’ve used this) or...taste. One area that’s seldom used is the color pallet to describe an NPC. On the surface this sounds strange I’ll grant you, but it works!
I stumbled across this ...
The character portrait – be it for a PC or NPC – is a time-honored tradition. If you lack any artistic skills technology has fortunately been able to offer an alternative, but these options have historically been expensive and difficult to use. How about a photorealistic option that’s totally free? Read on!
Models Not Required
While 3D modeling packages have routinely been out of the reach of most of us ...
I’m a sucker for evocative names, be it people, places, or even (especially!) adventures. An adventure name gets the blood flowing into the brain, conceptualizing what may come to pass, and helps keep me engaged. Read on for tips on why you may want to consider using — and sharing — adventure names at your gaming table.
The Name Game
Many of us cut our RPG teeth on any number ...
There’s a change on the horizon in an effort to monetize RPGs—in fact they’re already here, albeit in minor form: the collectible RPG. The RPG where players will need to pay-to-play for specific abilities. Collect ‘em all! This paradigm shift brings with it some new considerations when you sit down to run a game at your table.
Dollars for Powers
Many RPGs over the years have included diverse mechanics and ...
It isn’t often that a movie garners a remake/reboot, a five year stint as a television series and is then resurrected—again—as another television series. Plus, I’d wager a fair number of gamers have have thought of the draw of a wrongly-accused killer “repurposed” as a secret, government assassin. I mean, who wouldn’t?
So, clearly, there are some things we can learn from the latest iteration of Le Femme Nikita.
New ...
Today is my birthday and looking at my daughter, I realized that it was at her age that I began playing — and running — RPGs, three decades ago. Like many graybeards, I cut my teeth on the venerable Dungeons & Dragons (for me the magenta Basic Set, circa 1981) and that experience led to many, many more adventures.
Wistfully looking back at the path that took me here, ...
Recently I was afforded the rare opportunity to slide into the center seat and be a guest GM — or “Narrator” in this case — for our regular Star Trek game. I say “rare” because in my 30 years of gaming, it’s something I’d never done before.
It started innocently enough, with Martin not having enough time available to prep a game I casually made mention that Star Trek ...
Inspiration for our games surrounds us in many forms and traditional media is particularly rich in ideas. These also serve as test beds for what one ought to do or not do in narrative storytelling. In this case, Tron: Legacy has more than a few nuggets we can learn from.
Fair warning: Spoilers ahead!
Retro is Chic
Over the past decade retros, retreads, and reboots have been all the rage. From ...
As part of our holiday-themed entry during the Gnome Stew break, here’s a rundown of building your own Excelsior-class (refit) starship as a Christmas gift and prop for your Star Trek game. What? Doesn’t everyone do this?
The building of a 50 year old starship from a 15 year old model in pictures.
I will confess to two great passions — among many — that include Star Trek and gaming. ...
The Stew forges on, dragging you kicking and screaming into the digital age, this time with a review of the iPhone/iPad app, Battle Map. Educate yourself on this tool available for GMs willing to take their map-making skills to the “next level” (see what I did there?) and whether this application is for you.
Well, that is, if you own an iOS device, that is.
First, might I suggest you ...
