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
I recently ran a game that had a far too long and not fun combat in it. The party size is a little bloated, and I had planned out a combat with lots of combatants (mostly mooks who got taken out very easily, but a few actual threats) that became very un-fun. The mooks didn't get creamed like I expected, one character decided he wasn't going to participate ...
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of non-linear plots and story structures. However, as the Game Master, you are responsible for making sure the story progresses and certain things happen. Sometimes the players just aren’t picking up what you’re putting down. Here are a few things that you can do to help your players stay on track, without having to railroad them. 1. Make ...
So you’re running late to game. The only thing you need is a map, and you need to do it fast. Here are 5 quick mapping options. 1. Dry Erase Board Dry erase markers and a whiteboard make for great mapping options. The only problem, for the tactically combat inclined, is their lack of gridlines. Some places sell dry erase boards with ...
Troy’s article on Dave Arneson and Scott’s article on rethinking your play group got me percolating on ways that players can benefit from a change of pace and constant involvement in the game. So, while I don’t prefer to pop 2 Johnny’s Fives back to back, it seemed like the best format for this. Without further adieu, here are five ways to keep your ...
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends We're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside Emerson, Lake and Palmer – Karn Evil 9 (1st Impression Pt. 2) When you get tagged as your groups resident Game Master, you often get the “Hey, what are you running next?” question. While its good to get lots of ...
Let’s face it, be they an NPC or a player’s character, some characters just stand out from the rest. Sometimes it is because the player puts lots of detail and crafting into the character’s backstory and description, sometimes the GM has a special attachment or desire to see an NPC live up to its full potential and sometimes it all just comes together that way without any prep ...
Yes, yes, I see that you're thinking about reading this article. You are looking at the words and contemplating whether or not you should comprehend them . . .
Ahah! I was right! You've read these words, just as I predicted!
Mental powers can be used to great effect in a game, but they can also be incredibly unbalanced. We’re not talking Jean Grey wielding deadly telekinesis, but Charles Xavier ...
Well good old Johnny has decided to take a step away from his usual deep (and mostly bullshitted) posts about meta-gaming to try something different. I'm going to start a series of posts called Johnny's Five, wherein I detail 5 nifty things about Gaming, 5 ideas that might help out a GM or 5 unique pieces of . . . something you can use in a game. You ...
