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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

Feb 24, 2010 by 15

Johnny’s Five – Five Things That Puzzles In RPGs Should Do

I’ve been running my gaming group through a dungeon using Dungeonaday.com. In the last session the group came across a really well written puzzle and it got me thinking about the use of puzzles in games. Puzzles can be incredibly fun or incredibly frustrating. From the GM’s perspective, you don’t want to give the players something so easy it won’t feel like they have overcome anything, but ...
Dec 1, 2008 by 28

GameWars

WOPR: "Would you like to play a game?"It is the beginning of a new millennium.  The anointed champions of the two greatest empires in existence square off for what may be the decisive battle for superiority. Rumors fly as the two champions and their massive armies prepare to take the field.  In the supersaturated environment, conjecture morphs into assumption nearly overnight, and the fans quickly divide into two camps, ...

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