We got an email from Gnome Stew reader Cody Jones of gameonpodcast.com with this stumper of a question -- one we hadn't heard before. Several of us responded, so we decided to start a new series called "The Rambling Gnomes" for Q&A posts where a bunch of us gnomes nibbled on the same question. Here's Cody's email: I have a question for you fine gnomes. I currently am blessed to play ...

As I said in the first Short Sessions post, subplots can eat up a lot of time and hijack the entire session. As subplots tend to only involve one or two characters, this could also sideline a good chunk of the party while one or two players hog the spotlight. To much subplot time can also drag out an otherwise tight adventure. However, as Troy pointed out in the previous comments, ...

By its nature, a short session doesn't offer a lot of game time so it's important to be able to maximize the time you have. As I said in my last Short Sessions post, a three hour session will not equate to three hours of actual play. (I should have clarified this a bit more in my previous post, but I consider a "short session" to be anything ...

As a thirtysomething gamer, my groups tend to be made up of people with careers and families. As such, we don't have a lot of time to game. In some cases, we're lucky to set aside three hours a week (or every two weeks) to game. And as those of you that have GMed for any significant period of time know, setting aside three hours does not equal ...