Category: Crock Pot
| October 17, 2012 | Posted by Martin Ralya |
Over the past few years, it’s become clear to me that I suck at pitching games to my players. That realization goes hand in hand with another: I’ve muddled my way through this key aspect of being a GM for 20-plus years without ever really knowing what I was doing. Sometimes I pitch a game and it gets traction right away, and we play it and it’s fun, and unicorns are fucking while an angelic choir sings in the background, but I have no real…
| October 16, 2012 | Posted by Troy E. Taylor |
One of the concepts that has taken root in the “Doctor Who” universe is that of “fixed points in time” — a clever way to say that some events can’t be changed because they are crucial to the fabric of the universe … yada, yada, yada. . It’s a storytelling technique that explains why even River Song can’t kill Hitler to spare us the horrors of World War II or Mount Vesuvius will destroy Pompeii no matter what (or because of any) actions the Doctor…
| October 10, 2012 | Posted by Troy E. Taylor |
Bringing a particular mood to a gaming table is one of the most difficult things for a GM to wrangle. First, a given group’s play style has to be receptive to mood-based storytelling. The players gathered for a beer ‘n’ pretzel-style table, for instance, are unlikely to embrace the approach, no matter how skillfully the GM executes it. The jocular table banter — which is how such a group defines “fun” (all the power to them) — pretty much precludes any other attempt at creating…
| September 12, 2012 | Posted by Martin Ralya |
Looking back at the first game you played, or GMed, can be illuminating, and as evergreen gaming questions go, “What was your first RPG?” is a good one. But another equally interesting question tends to go unasked — so I’m going to ask it here: What was the first setting you ran a game in? And as a follow-up: How has that setting influenced your GMing since then? The first setting you ever experienced as a gamer is also a good one to consider, but…
| September 11, 2012 | Posted by Patrick Benson |
I struggle with today. I am sure that I am not the only person who does so. I cannot bring myself to offer any GMing advice to you today. It just seems so trivial to me in comparison to what today means to me. My apologies in advance if you are disappointed by today’s article because of this. Instead please allow me to be so bold as to share some advice for your life in general today: If you and your friends are getting upset…
| July 26, 2012 | Posted by Kurt "Telas" Schneider |
…and even if they can, they’ll just ignore them. Have you ever watched a movie while it’s being made, especially one laden with special effects? It looks nothing like the finished product, even though you’re watching the raw material. Actors and actresses look badass as they go through their choreographed routines, but the scene is betrayed by the wire-fu cables, chroma-key screen, and the fact that their punches and kicks are inches from hitting anything. (The picture links to its originating article.) Have you ever…
| July 10, 2012 | Posted by Martin Ralya |
This past January, we launched the first annual New Year, New Game (NYNG) challenge with a simple goal: Run a new game this year. We held a contest, ran a blog carnival, and received 57 game ideas for 39 RPGs from readers who were planning to run a new game in 2012. With NYNG 2013 roughly six months away, we’re at the halfway point — a good time to ask folks who are taking the NYNG challenge how things are going. Have you run a…
