Recently Vanir brought back a good post about the spotlight-- who gets personal (as opposed to group) attention. Much of the article is about how a player should treat spotlight time, which started me along a path of thinking-- who is responsible for spotlight distribution? Before I dive in, let's figure out what we mean by spotlight. (Or cheat, and just use Martin's definition in GMing 142: Spotlight ...

When does a character's story start? Books and novels often begin just as some exciting event kicks the characters out of their routine and pushes them on a new path. Occasionally the movie will give you a few minutes, or the book a few chapters, to get used to the character's normal life-- then it all changes. Thanks to A Butterfly Dreaming for inspiring this post and ...

Whenever I start a new campaign, I try to run a "pilot adventure." In television, a potential television series shoots a pilot to convince broadcasters to carry it. Pilot episodes are usually a little rough around the edges and certain elements are smoothed out, removed, or changed prior to the series proper. A good pilot adventure can set the tone for the campaign and give the players a good idea ...