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
1,109 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
This year for the annual You Pick It, I Review It , you selected Vornheim: The Complete City Kit. I ventured to GenCon, and in the first hour of the dealer’s floor opening I had this small book in my hands. Now after returning from GenCon, recovering from the Con Crud, and taking care of a few other books that had to get read first (prep for a ...
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 ...
In this episode I talk about what I am including in my GM’s kit for Gen Con 2011. I also refer to Kurt Schneider’s Index Cards for Prep articles, as well as my own Three of My Favorite Items for GMing article.
What do you have in your GM’s kit? Tell us by leaving a comment below.
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 ...
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 ...
Well, here we are once again! I've just gotten home from my fourth Gen Con (and still the only con I've attended) and still coming off my "Wow, that went by fast!" buzz. The highlight for me this year was going up on stage with my fellow Gnomes to accept our Silver ENnie, while the low point was probably my revealing just how much of a bumbling idiot ...
[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 ...
This year at Gen Con Vicki Potter from Tabletop Adventures joined fellow gnomes Kurt “Telas” Schneider, Phil “DNAphil” Vecchione, and myself to give the seminar “All Grown Up, and Still Gaming". We discussed gaming with a career, gaming after marriage, and gaming as a parent. And since it was at Gen Con we got lots of great feedback and tips from the plethora of gamers in attendance. ...
Back before GenCon, I asked you guys what game you would like me to review, and you chose HackMaster Basic. I picked up the book at GenCon and started reading it right away. I kept you up to date with my progress on Twitter with the tag #hmbreview .
Now, weeks later, summer breezes have turned to autumn chills, and I have finally gotten through the book and done ...
Lots of random and silly stuff in this one, only some of it vaguely GM-centric. If you’re interested in my RPG-specific experiences at Gen Con, try here. Seminars My ‘normal’ Gen Con experience is a number of seminars, maybe a game or two, and lots of time at the Exhibit Hall. This year, I played in a few games and gave two seminars, but didn’t actually ...
Hello everyone. I think I might be the last of the GenCon Gnomes to chime in. I wanted to give a quick recap my GenCon experience, as well as dispense a few GMing tips along the way.
Hackmaster Basic
As requested , I made a beeline to the Kenzer & Company booth and picked up my copy of HackMaster Basic. I have started reading the book in earnest, and I ...
This year I ran four RPG events at Gen Con. I’m confident that each was a success based upon the feedback that I was given by the players. If you happened to play in one of my games at Gen Con this year (or attended one of the seminars I was involved in) please leave a comment with your feedback about the game that you played in. I ...
Normally I don’t actually game much at Gen Con, aside from a rare pick-up game or an after hours card/board game with friends. I prefer to cruise the near-endless Exhibit Hall and attend seminars, but this year I decided to check in on the gaming. Games Played Out of the four RPGs I played in this year, two were excellent, one was just okay, and ...
Last Friday, I asked you all to pick the product that you would like me to pick up at GenCon to review, and you answered. The results were tallied and the winner was...
