Welcome to the first article Gnome Stew's Introduction to Game Mastering series. If you're new to GMing, this series is for you -- and even if you're an old hand, you might pick up a trick or two. Want to read other articles in this series? Click on the "introduction to game mastering" tag at the end of this article. In writing this series, I assume you have some familiarity ...

Gnome Rodeos are the Stew's periodic link roundups -- articles packed with pointers to excellent GMing material we think you'll enjoy. We usually feature a few regulars plus our favorite discoveries from around the web, all with an eye to making your time behind the screen easier and more fun. If you wrote or read something you'd like to see featured here, drop us a line. There's some awesome stuff ...

Yesterday, we decided to launch something new: Gnome Stew is now posting bite-sized game mastering tips on Twitter. The Hook It's a shared account, so all nine of us gnomes have the ability to post there. We'll be signing off with our initials so you know who wrote what, and it's not just an auto-feed of our articles (I don't have much use for those myself). I've been enjoying Twitter for ...

The AD&D 2nd Edition Dungeon Master's Guide opens with this line: You are one of a very special group of people: AD&D game Dungeon Masters. AD&D 2e was the first game I ever GMed, and the one I've run the longest (though it's been quite a while at this point). I first read those words back in 1989; I was 13. And I thought that was the greatest thing ever. A ...

We've all been there: The game is going gangbusters, but it's getting late. People have work or school in the morning, and you have to stop soon -- even though the adventure isn't over. Before my baby daughter Lark was in the picture, I was up for gaming until two or three in the morning on Saturday nights. I could sleep in the next day without any worries, so ...

Need a one-shot horror scenario on short notice? You're in luck: Plenty of horror movies are ready-made templates for RPG adventures -- and I've picked three doozies. As a GM, you should already be a raging kleptomaniac. The best thing about these three particular movies is that you can use them almost as-is, with very little prep on your part: 30 Days of Night The Thing Quarantine All three share some similarities, but ...

Today's surprise weekend article is brought to you by the word "open." DMing Tools: Get a Free Copy of Open Game Table For May 31 and June 1 only, if you sign up for (or upgrade to) a premium account on the DMing Tools website offered by Dungeon Mastering, you get a free copy of Open Game Table: The Anthology of Roleplaying Game Blogs, Volume 1 (which retails for $22.95). Open ...

From 2009 GenCon EN World RPG Awards ("the ENnies") judge Jeramy Ware's blog, May 26: Our only real worry at this point is the Website category, which is sorely lacking. So, if you know anyone that has a site or blog that you'd like to see considered, please ask them to enter. It's easy for people to see all the great books and services that publishers put out, but forget ...

I first heard about the Mouse Guard RPG at GenCon 2007, when I stopped by the Archaia Studios Press booth to buy a couple of Artesia T-shirts. On the table was a small placard announcing that a Mouse Guard game, designed by Luke Crane, was "coming soon." I perked up for four reasons. One, I like Mouse Guard, the comic by David Petersen upon which the RPG is based. ...

Our first anniversary contest ended last night, and rather than dawdle like lazy little gnomes, we decided to get the lead out and announce the winner the next day -- today, in fact. The only catch is that because of the way Gnome Stew is set up, we need a certain amount of pointless, filibuster-style text at the start of this article, or you'll be able to read the ...

To celebrate Gnome Stew's one-year anniversary (of the marriage between delicious dead gnome flesh and game mastering, of course!), we're giving away a set of Battlegraph Dry Erase Tiles courtesy of Longtooth Studios. Battlegraphs Battlegraphs are the first commercially available successor to Tact-Tiles, which were one of the best gaming products ever made. And they look like an excellent successor. They're modular -- they lock together like jigsaw puzzle pieces -- ...

Today, Gnome Stew turns one year old -- we launched on May 12, 2008. We're rocking our anniversary with a contest, which has its own article. Check it out and enter for a chance to win a set of Battlegraph combat tiles. At the close of 2008, when I did the last State of the Stew, we were going like gangbusters. After 12 months, we've passed every milestone I hoped ...

Happy players (and remember, you're a player, too) make for a good game. So how do you make your players happy? Try these four tips on for size... 1. Make props Have you ever met a player who didn't like props? Even the lamest attempt at making a prop of any kind makes my eyes light up when I play -- and if you go all out, I will frame your ...

My group is currently playing a D&D 4th Edition campaign, and I love having lots of accessories in front of me when I play. I have a couple hundred D&D Miniatures from past sets, and they rock -- for the price, they simply can't be beat. And I've been using fan-made power cards, printed out on cardstock, ever since we started our campaign. As a GM, I like any ...

It's been a long time in the making -- herding gnomes is just as difficult as herding cats -- but it's finally ready: Gnome Stew's Top 30 Game Mastering Articles page is now live. We chose the top 30 using a highly scientific process involving gnomish fungus ale, roshambo, plaintive gnomish whining, knife fights, and public drunkenness. With any luck, the results will provide you with a solid snapshot of ...