Comments for Gnome Stew

Comment on Did We Just Finish The Campaign? by Jeramie Cooper

Jeramie Cooper — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:22:57 +0000

Finishing a session and feeling a surprise about the end of the campaign coming too soon has not happened. I have been surprised by finishing a pre-written adventure and feeling like it’s the end of the campaign, even through the story started as a home brew adventure and there were some loose ends.

Comment on Act With Intent by Jeramie Cooper

Jeramie Cooper — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 17:52:34 +0000

This reminds me of the goal and approach method I’ve used a few times when a player describes an action that I find confusing. I’ll ask for them to describe their goal. After the description, I state my understanding of their approach. If my understanding is alignment with them, then I decided if a roll is needed and what attribute or skill might apply.

Comment on As Your Table Ages by Chris

Chris — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 17:50:52 +0000

Excellent article. Thank you for writing it!
I’m part of a group that began 35 years ago and I’ve definitely seen the shift in the table as we age. Now, a couple of folks deal with diabetes, one’s back is always a problem on somehow still the same uncomfortable chairs, and we lost one of us a few years ago. I’ve watched the host diligently fight against learning and playing new games or new editions. He and I still argue over (the game we’ve played the most) Warhammer Fantasy 2E vs 4E (and now 5E) and he joined in on The One Ring 2E Kickstarter before wanting to play MERP instead to mine and another excited player’s dismay (and Rolemaster has NOT aged well, IMO). That said, despite the changes over the years and the battles fought over which games to play next, I can’t imagine my life without the group and its created lifelong friendships.

Comment on Where do I start with a Campaign? by Vasant

Vasant — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 09:48:56 +0000

That looks like a great starting guide to new GMs!
I was wondering about the sequence: I usually have a group of (prospective) players who I can already ask for interests and character ideas. For me, it makes sense to ask the players first and then start with a basic concept, weaving in their fields of interest for the basic setup and their character ideas for the connections to the adventure.
Is your guide focused on finding a player group in a public place (friendly local game store, comic book store, online community) instead?

Comment on Stop Self-Limiting Your Ideas by Lobo7922

Lobo7922 — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:08:33 +0000

In reply to Blackjack.

This! I played in a game just like this, my friends would keep infinitely planning and never acting.
I was playing a “dumb” barbarian, and I decided to just act like some “Leeroy Jenkins” and just do the most obvious thing possible. It reached a point that the GM gave me an item that allowed me to transverse walls, just to make the game more fluid.
But I wonder, what else can be done with this kind of players? There must be a way to limit their infinite planning.

Comment on Five Tips For GMing Convention Games by Mega88Mobi

Mega88Mobi — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 03:01:30 +0000

Great tips for anyone preparing to run games at a convention. GMing in a convention setting can be quite different from a regular session, so keeping the game organized, welcoming, and easy for new players to follow is essential. I especially like the focus on creating an enjoyable experience for everyone at the table.

Comment on As Your Table Ages by Nathan

Nathan — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 23:14:31 +0000

I was sent this article from a fellow aging gamer and wow is it spot on.
While some of the folks at my table started with kids late and are still dealing with younger ones, elderly parents needing help, health issues, needing shorter 2-3 hour gaming sessions are some of the more prominent issues we deal with.
Thankfully, we keep things going with a 2-3x a month home game and a TTRPG podcast we record or stream almost every week. Honestly, the podcast is the most stable game I’ve had in decades.

On top of that, once a year we rent a cabin and try to get 10 or more of us locked away for a weekend just for gaming like we did in college. (Or at least a close approximation).

Comment on As Your Table Ages by GORDON STEPHENS

GORDON STEPHENS — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:56:09 +0000

I really appreciate how honest and thoughtful this is. Aging gamers is such a real (and surprisingly under-discussed) topic—diminishing energy, health tweaks, and even memory/focus changes all affect the table.

Comment on As Your Table Ages by Martin Ralya

Martin Ralya — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 03:11:06 +0000

Great post, Phil.

Despite being of the same vintage, with groups that broadly are in the same boat…I had never really considered this as a topic unto itself.

Zooming out I can see that we’ve arrived at some of the solutions you mention organically, like short sessions (1.5 hours for one of my groups, 3 hours for the others) and a very supportive atmosphere for whatever anyone needs to make gaming work for them.

But dang, lighting, mnemonic cues — there’s so much here we could be doing differently that would help my aging eyes and brain. Food for thought.

Thank you for posting about this. Your candor and grace are just as I remember them, my friend.

Comment on The Islands of Sina Una Review by Arun

Arun — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 20:20:38 +0000

I would love to see a fully fleshed out Indian setting akin to Devabhumi.