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
1,110 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
I am likely the last blogger on the Internet to get their Gen Con recap posted, but a combination of work deadlines, Con Crud, generating some spousal karma, and my regularly scheduled game conspired against me. Overall it was a very good Gen Con, and I had a great time seeing old friends, meeting new friends, and doing some needed shopping. So here is my 2011 Gen Con ...
2011 proved to be an interesting year for me at GenCon. Normally, I have large blocks of time to hit the dealer hall or meet people. This year, my schedule was crammed, not the least because I only chose to attend 3 days without cutting back on my usual number of events.
As a Gnomie, this was a special con. We won our second silver ENnie (I have it ...
Once again some of the Gnomes will be rolling into Indy next week, and today's article is about where we will be and how you can find us. Despite the bad press 4e has been giving us Gnomes, we are a social bunch, and nothing gives us more of a thrill than getting to meet the people who read Gnome Stew, and write the comments that spark the ...
For those long-time readers of the Stew, this is a tradition that I have had a lot of fun doing the past two Gen Con’s. It is the 3rd annual You Pick It, I Review It event. This is where you get to put the last item on my Gen Con shopping list before I pack up and head to Indy for the best 4 days in gaming.
In ...
This weekend, we organized and threw our first minicon. It was immensely easier than running a "real" con in many ways--but it also telegraphed some of what goes into planning and executing a con of whatever size. If you're looking at organizing a house con, or want to see what goes on behind the scenes, read on!
I was inspired by an Endgame mini-con that I'd been fortunate enough ...
This coming Sunday (May 1st) after you have gotten over your Royal Wedding hangover, is Gen Con Event Registration. For those attending, this is the time for the mad scramble to get into events before your fellow dice monkeys grab all the free seats. For some there will be the sweet taste of victory and for others just a fist full of Generic tickets and a mass of ...
This year at Con on the Cob the gnomes Phil Vecchione, Kurt Schneider, and myself played in a Savage Worlds game ran by Sean Patrick Fannon who opened his game to anyone who wanted to participate. No one was turned away, and Sean ran a game for at least a dozen people where everyone at all of the tables (yes, there were two tables) had an amazing time. ...
Last year I did a review of a local convention in Hudson, Ohio called Con On The Cob. It is one that I attend every year. You can read all about it in the review, but I have to unabashedly say that it is one of the most awesome conventions I’ve ever been to. The size is just right to meet and hang out without it being ...
Today is the unofficial last day to post a Gen Con review, and I did not want 2010 to go by without saying a few things about my experiences at Gen Con. As always, it was an exciting time filled with new games, new ideas, and great friends. I will do my best to give you a high level overview of all the things that went on this ...
As the week of distilled geekery known as Gen Con comes to an end, I am sleep-deprived, mentally exhausted, and exhilarated. Much was achieved, much was learned, and much fun was had. The Good As probably know by now, Gnome Stew won a silver ENnie (and I jumped off the stage wearing a kilt – not one of my brighter moments). We’re honored to ...
Con season is a great time to get out, meet fellow gamers, try out new games, and enjoy a world where our hobbies and pastimes are center stage. I have a number of habits that I've developed over time-- things I do when gaming that have just accumulated over the years. Many are neutral-- just quirks-- but some are actively off putting. Given that cons are filled with ...
There are going to be a fair amount of Gnomes/ex-patriot Gnomes at Gencon this year. We’ve got a lot of things going on: Eureka being distributed through Studio 2 Publishing (Booth #320), The Cooking Up Adventure Plots with Gnome Stew seminar, The Ennies Dinner, running various games, and ritual Halfling murder. So finding us to say hi (we don’t bite above the kneecap) won’t be too hard. There ...
This time last year, I made a deal with those of you who were unable to attend Gen Con. You picked something for me to pick up on the Exhibitor’s floor, and I reviewed it for you. That resulted in my two part review of Hackmaster Basic (Part1, Part2), and John’s review of Realms of Cthulhu.
Well it’s that time a year again, ...
[caption id="attachment_7171" align="alignright" width="300" caption="No Red Bull For Kurt in 2010"][/caption]
It's possible that by now you may have heard that we Gnomes wrote a book: Eureka: 501 Adventure Plots to Inspire Game Masters. You may also know that we Gnome love a good convention, and that we are big fans of GenCon. And if you have been a reader for any time, you ...
This Sunday, April 11th, will be a day that for many gamers will be punctuated with outbursts of both anger and joy. For those of you attending GenCon this year, April 11th is Event Registration. GenCon registration is always frustrating, but with our tips, hopefully you will navigate through RUBI with ease, and possibly wind up with a few events that you were hoping for.
The most important thing ...
