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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
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"If you aren’t reading Gnome Stew, you’re missing out." -- Wolfgang Baur

Aug 18, 2011 by 9

Connect the dots and get to work!

Pixedragon asked about several things that often tangle together into a big knot: mysteries, clues, and the GM's spotlight versus the player's flashlights. It also ties into the thrashing that often develops in a Sandbox setting. Here's what was asked: Hiya, I have a question concerning GMing, and it’s something I’ve noticed with other GM’s and in my own game. We tend to play rather RP-heavy games so it’s ...
Nov 6, 2008 by 8

Whose hand swivels the spotlight?

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 ...

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