Roleplaying Tips https://www.roleplayingtips.com/ Game Master Tips and Role-Playing Advice Tue, 19 May 2026 01:58:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 A Big Surprise From Session 0 Yesterday https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/a-big-surprise-from-session-0-yesterday/ Tue, 19 May 2026 01:54:45 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24594 The fighter awoke on flat, wet, cold rock, his face in a puddle of something warm and sticky. His eyes immediately fixated on a tipped, flickering lantern leaking oil right toward him. Thus began my Lost Isle campaign, an homage to The Isle of Dread and the TV show Lost. We started In Medias Res. […]

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]]> 3 Tips For Roleplaying Multiple NPCs In The Same Scene https://www.roleplayingtips.com/npcs-roleplaying/3-tips-for-roleplaying-multiple-npcs-in-the-same-scene/ Thu, 14 May 2026 02:02:21 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24589 Welcome back to our series diving into Game Master V’s tricky session! Last time, we tackled the problem of Passive Players. Today, we’re looking at a big cognitive load pit trap, which I think of as the Multiball problem. This is when too many things are moving at once and we lets things drop. “…the […]

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]]> 3 Tips For Better Player Engagement https://www.roleplayingtips.com/players-characters/3-tips-for-better-player-engagement/ Wed, 13 May 2026 13:01:46 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24586 How can you get players engaged more in roleplaying encounters? Game Master Vildara presents this tricky session situation: Last night was a bit of a first for me and I find myself here looking for advice to avoid a situation like this. The crew is escorting a bride to her new husband on some backwater world. […]

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]]> 3 Questions To Turn Boring Loot Into Instant Encounters https://www.roleplayingtips.com/treasure-rewards-items/3-questions-to-turn-boring-loot-into-instant-encounters/ Wed, 06 May 2026 22:45:13 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24582 Here’s a great tip from Game Master Cam on how we can add zest to objects, items, and treasure: Dear Johnn, Your Man/Nature/Monster dungeon history idea makes me think of my object history table: Thanks Cam, this is a great approach. I especially like the last bullet: Who wants the object? I used to make […]

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]]> The Sovereigns of Stink – My Lost Isle Troglodyte Faction https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/the-sovereigns-of-stink-my-lost-isle-troglodyte-faction/ Wed, 29 Apr 2026 03:11:47 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24576 How do we take a standard monster and make it feel alive without writing pages of lore? Today during Tiny Prep I added the first faction to my Lost Isle campaign. I am running troglodytes I call the Sovereigns of Stink, though in-game they’re the Rotscale Clan. To bring them to life and make them […]

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]]> Campaigns Are Hard https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/campaigns-are-hard/ Tue, 28 Apr 2026 03:32:17 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24572 What kind of campaign do you run? We had a fascinating discussion in the Discord this week about how some campaigns end with a bang and others quietly retire. From RPT GM Gilladian: Campaign endings are hard. I have been a dm for over 30, maybe 40 years. I don’t remember most of the old […]

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]]> Fix Boring Dungeon Walls https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/fix-boring-dungeon-walls/ Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:41:04 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24563 It’s what’s between rooms that’s the real puzzle. Hola Game Master! Before I draw on today’s mapping tips, please consider this my invitation to you to join us for RPT Map Week. Draw, paint, thumbnail, click, sketch, or code a map based on a daily hook. Today’s Map Hook: A Flooding Dungeon. This is a […]

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]]> Break Reality To Build Better Dungeon Maps https://www.roleplayingtips.com/news/break-reality-to-build-better-dungeon-maps/ Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:26:22 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24560 Constrain one thing to transform your dungeons. Hola Game Master! Continuing our celebration of RPT Map Week (make sure you swing by the #rpt-map-weeks channel on Discord to check out the daily hooks), I want to talk about the hidden rules dictating your map designs. How Architectural Constraints Affect Maps We often draw floor plans […]

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]]> On Kidnapping Characters https://www.roleplayingtips.com/players-characters/on-kidnapping-characters/ Tue, 14 Apr 2026 03:09:54 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24551 Take Part in RPT Map Week #1 Hola Game Master! Starting next Monday, April 20, @Auke and I are running a fun, free, chill event on Discord for those who like to make maps. Each day for a week there will be a map hook I created. The theme is Locations Under Pressure. Read the […]

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]]> Anatomy Of A Back Pocket Encounter: The Screaming Ambush https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/anatomy-of-a-back-pocket-encounter-the-screaming-ambush/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:58:11 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24544 Tuesday, I shared out the tip to create Back Pocket Encounters you can push into play in case you need to change the pace, stall, or provide a transition or clue. In response, Roleplaying Tips GM TT writes: Examples of each of the 3 Back Pocket Encounters would have been nice. Thanks for the suggestion, […]

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]]> Create These 3 Back Pocket Encounters For More Confident GMing https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/create-these-3-back-pocket-encounters-for-more-confident-gming/ Wed, 08 Apr 2026 03:32:32 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24541 What do you do when the party gets stuck, the game gets bogged down, or you simply need to stall for time? In a recent Tiny Prep Challenge on our Discord server, one GM mentioned they were preparing a “backup/extra encounter to keep the fight-oriented players happy, if things go too lore-heavy.” This is an […]

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]]> A Great Isometric Point Crawl Map https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/a-great-isometric-point-crawl-map/ Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:37:19 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24528 Here’s a super Daggerheart point crawl map created by @muted and shared with the Roleplaying Tips community that I thought you might enjoy. From @muted: I am running a loop countdown (started on a location just outside of the dungeon – the Dig) and the dungeon is a collection of a few custom Daggerheart environments […]

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]]> My 7-Step Strategy For Successful Long-Term Campaigns https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/my-7-step-strategy-for-successful-long-term-campaigns/ Sat, 28 Mar 2026 01:47:06 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24526 Run your campaigns like the best board game in the world. In 2018 I got back into board games in a big way. I had stopped playing in 2003, so did not get to experience the new wave and evolution in design of the 2000s and 2010s. Then I dropped into a board game day […]

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]]> How Do You Reveal Your Maps To Players? https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/how-do-you-reveal-your-maps-to-players/ Thu, 26 Mar 2026 02:12:05 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24512 Players can draw on my maps and on my table. And I love it. My group used to have a player assigned to drawing the map. I would describe things, player would struggle to make squiggles, party would still get lost. Then I tried simplifying my maps to make them easier to, er, map, which […]

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]]> Instant Puzzles: Give NPCs Secret Codes https://www.roleplayingtips.com/npcs-roleplaying/instant-puzzles-give-npcs-secret-codes/ Tue, 24 Mar 2026 03:25:39 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24493 We got to talking about living graffiti on the Discord and @ØCÇÜL? STOÒL shared this great idea: If you can’t see the image above, the message in part reads: I always pictured Druidic hobo signs to be a thing, like most folks that saw branches growing in a strange pattern might notice but someone proficient in Druidic […]

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]]> Sola Dosis Facit Venenum https://www.roleplayingtips.com/treasure-rewards-items/sola-dosis-facit-venenum/ Tue, 17 Mar 2026 01:55:04 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24488 For my Obsidian Invictus campaign, I’m aiming to make every magic item unique. Potions was a bit of a head scratcher. I don’t want a lot of extra prep. In fact, I want the opposite. But Roleplaying Tips GM Daniel saves the day with some cool ideas on making potions distinct. He sent me this […]

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]]> The Writing On The Wall – Using Graffiti For Clues And Foreshadowing https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/the-writing-on-the-wall-using-graffiti-for-clues-and-foreshadowing/ Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:56:24 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24485 I like graffiti. I got the idea of adding vandals to my dungeons from Barrowmaze Complete by Dr. Greg Gillespie. Buried under the several feet of tephra that surrounds Obsidian Invictus is a vast network of crypts built in a former age to service a Beast. And the characters have discovered the way in. It’s […]

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]]> Colony & Outpost Creation Checklist https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/colony-outpost-creation-checklist/ Wed, 11 Mar 2026 01:50:22 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24468 I’ve got a great checklist for you today. @Exile In Paradise, a fantastic mod helping fellow GMs in my Discord, shared with me a great list of AI generated questions and details for creating colonies, outposts, and settlements in space. This is in response to Orbital Trouble: d12 Space Outpost Hooks. I normally don’t spit […]

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]]> The Skull In The Tree https://www.roleplayingtips.com/npcs-roleplaying/the-skull-in-the-tree/ Fri, 06 Mar 2026 03:04:21 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24464 I was chatting with @Kodia Tomekeeper in the #tiny-prep-daily channel. She’s embedding a skull in a tree in her campaign. That reminded me of faces carved into certain trees in some campgrounds around here. They look amazing. Faces are powerful. They symbolize and communicate. My favourite example would be the Magic Mouth spell. A friend […]

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]]> 4 Ways To Track Resources Without Slowing Down Your Game https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/4-ways-to-track-resources-without-slowing-down-your-game/ Thu, 05 Mar 2026 02:25:16 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24458 Resource tracking has come up twice in my orbit recently, so I thought I’d share a couple thoughts on how to reduce tracking friction on encumbrance, spell slots, and other meters and pools. Case in point, Roleplaying Tips GM @jcauseyfd asks on the Discord: Has anyone run across any good systems/mechanics for DnD (5e) to […]

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]]> D&D Player Rules For Survival https://www.roleplayingtips.com/players-characters/dd-player-rules-for-survival/ Tue, 03 Mar 2026 02:21:03 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24453 Game Master! I received this funny list of player directives from Roleplaying Tips GM Noel and thought it would be a great way to start the week. We begin first though with some GM screen talk. Noel, I’d love to see pics of your screens sometime! Hi Johnn, I know what you mean when you […]

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]]> Reducing GM Pressure: Phase In Your Jobs https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/reducing-gm-pressure-phase-in-your-jobs/ Thu, 19 Feb 2026 03:29:16 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24448 Reducing GM Pressure: One Thing Added, One Removed Go easy on yourself. And keep it simple behind the screen. I ran Night’s Black Agents for the first time on Sunday. We did the chase scene with the nuclear briefcase. Great game. Tricked my players to play again in March. The PCs are super agents. The […]

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]]> Use Moves To Beat Brain Freeze & Deepen Play https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/use-moves-to-beat-brain-freeze-deepen-play/ Fri, 13 Feb 2026 04:49:50 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24443 How to simplify things at the table and drop dynamic game pieces onto it. In response to a description tutorial I sent out, Wizard of Adventure GM Will asks: I want to know more about the “Moves” section Thanks Will. I first discovered Moves in the Dungeon World RPG. At first, I didn’t understand the […]

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]]> Solo RPG Suggestions https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/solo-rpg-suggestions/ Tue, 10 Feb 2026 03:19:55 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24436 Do you play solo RPGs?  That’s you, a game system, some dice – maybe, and a quill and parchment.  If you quest for some sci-fi solo evenings, here are several recommendations from Wizard of Adventure @ExileInParadise based in response to a recent newsletter about asking the right questions to oracle in solo games.  Exile’s a mod […]

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]]> How To Fix A Dull Setting (Without Writing More Lore) https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/how-to-fix-a-dull-setting-without-writing-more-lore/ Wed, 04 Feb 2026 02:31:57 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24429 A great way to craft and maintain a consistent atmosphere without the heavy prep. I’m experimenting with a Sensory Bible for my Obsidian Invictus campaign to solve a specific problem. How to keep the vibe consistent without writing a tome of lore? One of my first steps was creating a Sensory Bible for the city, […]

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]]> Make Melees Faster With Combat Outs https://www.roleplayingtips.com/combat/combat-action/make-melees-faster-with-combat-outs/ Mon, 02 Feb 2026 02:54:37 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24419 How to end combats without grinding down to the last health point every time. Roleplaying Tips GM Paul asks: One thing that has always been difficult is that when the party have relatively low skills in combat and magic. A fight can take up to 2 sessions to get through. Fatigue playing a major part […]

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]]> Design First, Draw Second https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/design-first-draw-second/ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 03:10:41 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24406 5-Minute Megadungeon Maps. You have a great idea for a massive complex. But the thought of drawing every 10ft. corridor before you even know what goes where is so daunting that you never actually start. I’m faced with this proposition right now as I need to map the megadungeon for my Obsidian Invictus campaign. I […]

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]]> Dungeons in Modern Games https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/dungeons-in-modern-games/ Tue, 27 Jan 2026 03:00:14 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24398 Running “dungeons” in any genre or setting. Roleplaying Tips GM Richmond grabbed my book, Logical Dungeon Design: Tactical Cartography, and sent me this note: Johnn, I have read the first chapter and part of the second. I don’t know how useful it will be for the game I am currently running, but I may be […]

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]]> Create Dynamic Dungeon Maps & Levels That Make Sense https://www.roleplayingtips.com/news/create-dynamic-dungeon-maps-levels-that-make-sense/ Sat, 24 Jan 2026 03:20:50 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24385 Have you ever been running a dungeon crawl, feeling good, when suddenly a player asks a question that stops your dice cold? “Wait, why is there an ice room right next to a lava chamber?” “What do these monsters actually eat?” “Why are the ceilings only ten feet high if giants live here?” I call […]

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]]> My Heuristic For Better Descriptions https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/my-heuristic-for-better-descriptions/ Fri, 23 Jan 2026 05:55:13 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24354 Today’s word of the day is indite, which is also today’s tip. So, here is how I indite better descriptions. Earlier this month I shared my 3-step description trick in a Tuesday Tutorial with Platinum Wizards of Adventure. I call these descriptions Lore Drops. They give us a robust mental framework we can apply to […]

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]]> Solo RPGs – How To Ask The Right Questions https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/solo-rpgs-how-to-ask-the-right-questions/ Thu, 22 Jan 2026 02:44:27 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24350 Ack Ack Johnn! Before I give you today’s tip, I have exciting news. First draft of my new book on dungeon design is done! It’s called Logical Dungeon Design: Tactical Cartography.  Here’s the cover: It’s about how to design dungeon maps and levels that respond to the players. Living Dungeons. This book is also about […]

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]]> In A TPK They Can’t Hear You Screen https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/in-a-tpk-they-cant-hear-you-screen/ Tue, 20 Jan 2026 13:42:18 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24335 To screen or not to screen, that is the question from Roleplaying Tips GM Eli: Johnn! Thank you for these wonderful articles. I was wondering, could you tell me why you do or do not use a DM screen? I’m interested to hear what you think! Thanks Eli. I stopped using a GM screen in […]

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]]> Why Dungeon Maps Feel Fake – The Dungeon Timeline Method https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/why-dungeon-maps-feel-fake-the-dungeon-timeline-method/ Fri, 16 Jan 2026 04:13:05 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24326 How to make logical dungeon maps. Nonsensical maps were a major theme in the fantastic feedback I received from Monday’s request about your biggest pain point with dungeons: How to make dungeons make sense and believable? Most GMs think they need to design a dungeon for the adventure they are running right now. You sit […]

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]]> When They Always Split Up https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/when-they-always-split-up/ Mon, 12 Jan 2026 03:14:40 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24320 What do you do when the party becomes the eight-pointed chaos symbol and splits up in every direction? RPT GM Lessa asks: If you can manage to keep your players together, tell me how. First thing my players do is split the party… Now, Lessa is a very experienced GM and actually has this under […]

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]]> Bottoms Up! https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/bottoms-up/ Fri, 09 Jan 2026 04:12:15 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24317 During Tiny Prep this morning I added factions to my setting, and that inspired three ideas. I’m finding the bottom-up approach great for inspiration in this way. For each campaign I have in Campaign Logger I create an Ideas Log. And today I added these: However, I feel like I could squeeze more value juice […]

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]]> Daggerheart + World Ripples https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/daggerheart-world-ripples/ Wed, 07 Jan 2026 02:34:51 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24313 Hei Game Master. And happy New Year. On Sunday I got to play in a Daggerheart one-shot run by @mungo9494. Great session. Fun system too, though I need to lean more into the Hope mechanics next time. The GM did something at the end that I liked a lot. And I’m now noodling on how […]

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]]> Three New Layers for My Shadowdark World Building https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/three-new-layers-for-my-shadowdark-world-building/ Sat, 03 Jan 2026 01:25:05 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24305 Hello Game Master and happy Super Wolf Moon! In these parts, it’s the first full moon of the year (wolf) and Luna is at perigee (super). Snowing here in the morning darkness, so I can’t see it. But the clouds sure are bright. It’s great getting mooned on a Friday. This week I started prepping […]

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]]> Handling Clever Actions https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/handling-clever-actions/ Wed, 17 Dec 2025 01:33:30 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24301 The Rule of Cool.Yes, And.Be a fan of the characters. These tenets push us to let players try clever, chaotic, and unexpected PC actions. For example, saket asked this on the Roleplaying Tips Discord: In the middle of combat, one of my players wanted to create an opaque, black orb around my main villain’s head, […]

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]]> How To Get Players To Like Your NPCs https://www.roleplayingtips.com/npcs-roleplaying/how-to-get-players-to-like-your-npcs/ Tue, 09 Dec 2025 05:36:01 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24295 How do you make an NPC likable so you can predictably say “The players will latch onto this one”? Right now, for many of us, it feels like a roll of the dice. RPT GM @Harebrained Tom asks this great question, and the top tip comes from @saket._.: I think overall my view is that […]

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]]> Designing Your Villain’s Vault https://www.roleplayingtips.com/treasure-rewards-items/designing-your-villains-vault/ Sat, 06 Dec 2025 01:35:41 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24290 Where does your villain stash their cash? That’s the topic of a brand new weekly mapping challenge starting today on the Roleplaying Tips Discord called 5 Minute Map Fridays. Because villains need money to support their operation, lifestyle, and goals. And many settings only operate with physical currency, be it coins, bank notes, or other […]

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]]> The Red Box Trick for Faster Sessions https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/the-red-box-trick-for-faster-sessions/ Wed, 03 Dec 2025 01:11:46 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24286 Caller You’re on the Air Have you ever tried using a Caller? The topic came up in Saturday’s Wizard of Adventure Zoom session, and the role has several great uses. Gygax used this method a lot. Here are Mentzer’s instructions on using a Caller from the 1983 D&D Red Box (bolding is mine): The caller […]

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]]> Quarrel at the Quarry: Bottom-Up Encounter Prep https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/quarrel-at-the-quarry-bottom-up-encounter-prep/ Fri, 28 Nov 2025 03:58:08 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24279 Quarrel at the Quarry: Bottom-Up Encounter Prep Here’s how I’m building certain types of encounters in my Basilica campaign using world logic. By world logic, I mean starting with a map based on terrain and environment details, and then having plot and gameplay wrap around that. Using biome, hex, and other relevant details from my […]

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]]> Running Demons https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/running-demons/ Wed, 26 Nov 2025 00:13:10 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24276 How do you liven up gameplay when the characters are near max level? Here’s a question posted in the #demonplague channel in the RPT Discord: …the party finally came to the entrance of Xancrown’s Dungeon. I perused the 4th adventure shortly, have to read it in detail, but aren’t the enemies too weak for this […]

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]]> 4 Steps to Better Maps https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/4-steps-to-better-maps/ Fri, 21 Nov 2025 03:47:59 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24263 Tired of pausing gameplay to hastily sketch a scene? Front-loading your map prep is one of the best ways to help with session pacing. The #Mapvember2025 map challenge is still going strong on the RPT Discord, and it’s your perfect chance to front-load your prep and save yourself stress later. Thanks to @Auke for facilitating […]

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]]> 3 Ways to Stall https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/3-ways-to-stall/ Thu, 20 Nov 2025 02:42:56 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24258 How can you stall the game for a while to give yourself a chance to recover from a player surprise? Here are three ways. Stall Tactic #1. It Was the Plan All Along This was posted recently on the Roleplaying Tips Discord: Never underestimate the power of saying “yeah, weird huh?”when you slip a massive […]

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]]> The Magic of ‘What If?’ (Johnn’s GM Bookshelf #04) https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/the-magic-of-what-if-johnns-gm-bookshelf-04/ Wed, 05 Nov 2025 07:29:17 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24248 Dragon Magazine Collection A quick note to say I finally finished re-reading my print Dragon Magazine collection! But now, alas, I must part with it as I downsize. Postage is brutal. So I would like to first see if anyone near Beaumont, Alberta is interested and willing to pick them up. I am asking $500 […]

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]]> Join the Mapvember Challenge https://www.roleplayingtips.com/rptn/join-the-mapvember-challenge/ Wed, 05 Nov 2025 05:44:34 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24244 I love maps. They’re my First Move when building an encounter or 5 Room Dungeon. It lets you think things through as you push the pixels or graphite around. I like to tell myself a story as I draw. Here’s the entrance and it leaves much to be desired, making them easy pickings for the […]

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]]> Organizing My Classic Adventures https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/organizing-my-classic-adventures/ Wed, 29 Oct 2025 02:42:50 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24235 Still downsizing. And this weekend I tackled my classic D&D adventures shelf. In the photo above, from top left, clockwise: What was the purpose of my quest? I have a few goals here. First, I’ve been in an 80s nostalgia phase of late. Just watched Predator again. Fantastic. Now watching Tron. Also killer. So I […]

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]]> Bake In The Pokey Bits: Design For Interaction https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/bake-in-the-pokey-bits-design-for-interaction/ Tue, 28 Oct 2025 09:10:09 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24227 I try to keep it simple behind the screen and let players make it complicated. Part of doing that involves me handling The What and players handling The How. For example, I was creating a 3 Line NPC just now. Liorin, the wizard who created a powerful artefact in my Duskfall setting millennia ago: My […]

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]]> Run Your Dungeon Maps Like A Board Game https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/run-your-dungeon-maps-like-a-board-game/ Wed, 15 Oct 2025 03:24:05 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24223 I GM like I’m playing a board game now. Wait. Before you hit the delete button and say you don’t want chocolate board games getting mixed with your tabletop RPG peanut butter, hear me out. This might be a boon for your improvisation and encounter-building feats. First off, I’m speaking to GMing mindset and strategy […]

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]]> How to Make Your Players Love Paying Taxes https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/how-to-make-your-players-love-paying-taxes/ Fri, 10 Oct 2025 03:08:37 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24219 Do you charge taxes? I got a chuckle from DaveW’s post on the RPT Discord about levying taxes on the characters: My current campaign has a silver per wheel and copper per leg toll for the fortified town the players start in. An ox pulling a four wheeled cart is 4 sp, 4 cp to […]

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]]> Kilgon the Sharpshooter (Playing Online Without a VTT) https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/kilgon-the-sharpshooter-playing-online-without-a-vtt/ Tue, 30 Sep 2025 01:36:04 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24211 Yesterday, we played Stars Without Number. D&D meets classic scifi. A nice and simple old school approach that leaves lots of room for roleplay and creativity. We had players in Canada, U.S., and Germany. We used Zoom with a whiteboard, and our Dice Service that Wizards of Adventure have access to. I also used Freebooter […]

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]]> Am I Responsible For My Players’ Fun? https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/am-i-responsible-for-my-players-fun/ Thu, 25 Sep 2025 00:55:09 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24208 Am I responsible for my players’ fun? I think I run contrary to many game masters out there when I say, no. My job is to stage a great campaign, full of interesting challenges and choices. The story is something we all create together as we play. I’m a GM, not a parent. We’re playing […]

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]]> 3 Ways to Make Domain Play Fun Again https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/3-ways-to-make-domain-play-fun-again/ Sun, 14 Sep 2025 12:48:00 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24197 Here’s a query I received a little while ago from Wizard of Adventure JL: How to make conquering/managing/defending a domain FUN (for the players, not just the DM?) I like this question because it gets to the heart of a common GM challenge: making the world matter. Characters with no attachment to your setting will […]

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]]> Johnn’s Bookshelf https://www.roleplayingtips.com/news/johnns-bookshelf/ Fri, 12 Sep 2025 02:48:13 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24123 Here are a few books I find useful for GMing that aren’t about GMing. Some books are common but highly recommended for every GM, and some are obscure, more for folks who like rabbit holes. Sign up to my newsletter to get new book recommendations sent to your inbox. A Book of Fantastic Dungeon Inspiration […]

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]]> Add a Secret Level https://www.roleplayingtips.com/players-characters/add-a-secret-level/ Thu, 11 Sep 2025 01:30:17 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24172 The first rule of DungeonCraft: Give everything a secret. Ray Winninger’s Dragon column back in the day was fantastic and the first thing I eagerly read each issue. And his Rule #1 is something I abide by to this day, decades later. TigerShaman offered a fantastic tip along these lines in my Campaign Studio GM […]

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]]> My 1,040 Page Brainstorming Tool (Johnn’s GM Bookshelf #03) https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/my-1040-page-brainstorming-tool-johnns-gm-bookshelf-03/ Tue, 09 Sep 2025 01:27:32 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24161 My 1,040 Page Brainstorming Tool (Johnn’s GM Bookshelf #03) One of the most useful books on my GM bookshelf is David Perry on Game Design. This tome’s so large it seems more weapon than spellbook. However, its massive size is one of its greatest strengths. Perry is a veteran video game designer, and while this […]

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]]> A Trick That Gets Your Players To Roleplay (Works Great With New Players) https://www.roleplayingtips.com/players-characters/a-trick-that-gets-your-players-to-roleplay-works-great-with-new-players/ Tue, 09 Sep 2025 00:55:03 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24158 Here’s a way to combine world building with character building while using precious session time more efficiently. I’ve been seeing headlines in the RPG-osphere about campfire chats where, during the party’s rest time, you roleplay and explore the characters together. I have a specific method for this that works well, which I’ll share with you […]

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]]> How to Create a Murder Mystery https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/how-to-create-a-murder-mystery/ Thu, 04 Sep 2025 01:43:13 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24154 Platinum Wizard of Adventure Arvindh asks: Can you teach me how to create a murder mystery? Sure. A quick caveat before we begin though. A TTRPG murder mystery experience is different from a book or film. With static and scripted mediums, the audience is passive. Writers rely heavily on information silos to keep the audience […]

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]]> Weeds: What My Garden Taught Me About World Building https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/weeds-what-my-garden-taught-me-about-world-building/ Wed, 27 Aug 2025 02:42:42 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24144 Each empty space on our map offers an opportunity. We often focus on the big things like rooms, doors, and treasure, but the real magic is in the clutter. The makeshift gardens, the forgotten tools, and even the weeds. As GMs, our goal is to make our settings feel lived in, and I was recently […]

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]]> Before the Quest – A Session 0 Backstory Game https://www.roleplayingtips.com/players-characters/before-the-quest-a-session-0-backstory-game/ Tue, 19 Aug 2025 01:20:15 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24139 Play a game and build character backstories at the same time. Wizard of Adventure Auke shared this little gem on the Roleplaying Tips Discord #gm-help-requests channel: I recommend a co-operative backstory-building improv session. Sit around a table with a large sheet of paper and co-create a mindmap. Start by writing down all the PC names. […]

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]]> The One Book That Changed How I Build Cities (Johnn’s Bookshelf #02) https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/the-one-book-that-changed-how-i-build-cities-johnns-bookshelf-02/ Wed, 06 Aug 2025 04:16:19 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24114 Who knew economic and urban development theory could be exciting? I certainly didn’t, until I stumbled upon a book called The Economy of Cities by Jane Jacobs. This small academic tome changed how I build worlds, and today I’ll show you why. Welcome to the latest installment of Johnn’s Bookshelf, my series where I share […]

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]]> Getting Players Attached To Their Home Base https://www.roleplayingtips.com/players-characters/getting-players-attached-to-their-home-base/ Wed, 30 Jul 2025 01:47:11 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24081 Getting Players Attached To Their Home Base Home bases are like Swiss Army Knives for GMs. A collection of useful campaign tools in one small package. With home bases, we get great GM boons: When players get attached to their home, all kinds of plots and adventures open up. However, if players are willing to […]

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]]> Do You Speak in Ellipses? A Common GM Mistake (And How to Fix It) https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/do-you-speak-in-ellipses-a-common-gm-mistake-and-how-to-fix-it/ Fri, 25 Jul 2025 04:50:46 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24074 Here’s a way to instantly improve communication at your game table and keep your players more engaged than ever. There’s a common, often overlooked, communication habit that might be subtly sabotaging your sessions. In today’s tip, I’ll share a powerful, easy-to-implement way to eliminate choppy descriptions and ensure seamless interaction. Speaking in Ellipses… I’ve noticed […]

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]]> World Calendars & Campaign Timelines https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/world-calendars-campaign-timelines/ Thu, 24 Jul 2025 03:14:42 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24068 Do you create a world calendar and campaign timeline? RPT GM Chris asks if this is common: Good day Johnn. I was working on my game world history a bit today, and found myself wondering if things I do are common among many other DMs? For instance, I always have a calendar for any world […]

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]]> A Book of Fantastic Dungeon Inspiration – Johnn’s Bookshelf https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/a-book-of-fantastic-dungeon-inspiration-johnns-bookshelf/ Tue, 22 Jul 2025 03:28:51 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24062 Over the last 50 years, I’ve amassed a collection of books useful for GMing that you probably won’t find in any game store. In this series, Johnn’s Bookshelf, I’ll be pulling these hidden gems off my shelves to share with you. The first book I want you to check out is small but packed with […]

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]]> Battle of the Organs: The Gallbladder Strikes Back https://www.roleplayingtips.com/npcs-roleplaying/battle-of-the-organs-the-gallbladder-strikes-back/ Mon, 21 Jul 2025 04:09:05 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24058 I was working on a campaign faction last night called The Choir and my wife gave me a gruesome idea. But the idea didn’t mesh with what I had in mind for The Choir, so I used it to homebrew a horrific monster instead. Choir Culture: Death, Music, and Bone Organs The Choir ruled as […]

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]]> How I Run One-Shots (Great For Convention Games Too) https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/how-i-run-one-shots-great-for-convention-games-too/ Sat, 12 Jul 2025 00:46:35 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24052 How much should you cover before and in the first session so new players feel ready and excited – but not buried under rules? Wizard of Adventure L asks: I’m looking for practical thoughts on how to run a Session 0 (or 0.5) that helps brand new players feel comfortable with the rules – without […]

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]]> My 2-Stage Prep System And How I’m Ready For EVERY Session https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/my-2-stage-prep-system-and-how-im-ready-for-every-session/ Thu, 10 Jul 2025 01:22:25 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24043 Do you ever feel overwhelmed by prep? Or struggle to balance world building with what’s urgently needed for next game? I used to fall into this GM pit trap a lot. Scrambling every game day while also stressing over my incomplete campaign plans and setting. The core issue often stems from mixing Session Prep and […]

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]]> My New Dice Tower https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/my-new-dice-tower/ Wed, 09 Jul 2025 04:10:32 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24032 Check out this sweet dice tower I made on the weekend with my father-in-law: It just needs a couple coats of stain. Then the critical hits can begin rolling down upon my players’ heads like bard tears at an orc wedding. I’m learning woodworking, thus this is my “build a bird feeder” first project. While […]

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]]> First Aid, Troll Blood, and Magic Rocks – d6 Healing Alternatives https://www.roleplayingtips.com/players-characters/first-aid-troll-blood-and-magic-rocks-d6-healing-alternatives/ Tue, 01 Jul 2025 06:36:24 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24019 Big news from the Johnn Four household. Everyone is officially cancer free! My wife’s final radiation blast was yesterday. My mom also completed her radiation in January. To celebrate, I thought I’d offer three ideas for giving brittle parties extra healing options. Having played a few new RPGs in the last while, I’ve noticed some […]

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]]> How I’m Scaling My New Campaign From 0 to Epic Universe https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/how-im-scaling-my-new-campaign-from-0-to-epic-universe/ Tue, 01 Jul 2025 06:00:13 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24016 If you start with just one 5 Room Dungeon today, you’ll soon have a player-driven world brimming with factions, mysteries, and drama, all without burning out, herding cats, or skipping sessions due to lack of prep time. That’s not just theory. It’s exactly how I’m building my own new campaign, using the very system I […]

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]]> CampaignCraft: Announcing My New Secret Weapon for Building & Launching Successful Campaigns https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/campaigncraft-announcing-my-new-secret-weapon-for-building-launching-successful-campaigns/ Wed, 25 Jun 2025 02:20:45 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=24011 The secret weapon I wish I’d had in my first dozen campaigns… GMing long-term campaigns is hard. I’ve started dozens over the years. Some crashed. Some fizzled. And a few became legends. What made the difference? How I started. Big worlds. Big plots. Big prep. Those campaigns buckled under their own weight. The best ones […]

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]]> New House Rule: Do Anything https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/new-house-rule-do-anything/ Tue, 10 Jun 2025 14:23:31 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23996 “People look at the rules set to see what they can do in the game.” That quote’s from a great email I received from Roleplaying Tips GM Steve S. And it’s often true. For example, lately I tried the Fallout and Dark Eye RPGs. And both times, when not my turn, I was scanning the […]

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]]> It’s on Fire! https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/its-on-fire/ Wed, 04 Jun 2025 04:35:33 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23993 Last week a field across the street burned. A copse of trees also caught fire.  A farmer — Kevin, a friend from volleyball —  hopped onto his tiller and started turning the soil up to slow the blaze down. And fire trucks were cycling at the nearest hydrant and making ranged attack rolls against the […]

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]]> Do Skill Systems Make Characters Too Similar? https://www.roleplayingtips.com/players-characters/do-skill-systems-make-characters-too-similar/ Tue, 03 Jun 2025 02:55:40 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23989 Classless systems can feel liberating at first. But then characters start to feel same-same. Wizard of Adventure SDavies nails why in this great comment he posted yesterday in CampaignCraft: From 5 Room Dungeon to Universe: I ran a many-year RuneQuest campaign, which is classless. I wasn’t careful and some characters ended up various shades of grey, […]

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]]> Your World Is An NPC https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/your-world-is-an-npc/ Thu, 29 May 2025 04:58:30 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23985 Before I share today’s tip, a reminder for Wizards of Adventure that it’s the last Saturday of the month in a few days and that means it’s Zoom time! Hop onto a call with me this Saturday noon Mountain Time to get some help. Get tips, ideas, or feedback about your next encounter, monster tactics, […]

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]]> A Quick Trick to Create Killer Ideas https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/a-quick-trick-to-create-killer-ideas/ Tue, 27 May 2025 04:28:13 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23978 This tip comes from Old Man Masha via the Roleplaying Tips Discord: Here’s a cool way to come up with interesting ideas for elements of your game. First, get a collection of 10 random words. I got: Then, randomly pair them up. I got: Now, each pair can be used as an inspiration! Check it […]

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]]> Golemageddon: Golem Ideas for Your Next Campaign https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/golemageddon-golem-ideas-for-your-next-campaign/ Tue, 20 May 2025 06:55:10 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23966 A couple of quick announcements. First, I was on the Roleplay Rescue podcast recently with Tiny Prep co-author, Che Webster. It starts off with a question: What would you do if you had a new player to add to your existing roleplaying group? And the convo evolves from there. Here’s the link to listen. Second, […]

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]]> The Meta Characters Method: Factions With Brains, Brawn & Betrayal https://www.roleplayingtips.com/npcs-roleplaying/the-meta-characters-method-factions-with-brains-brawn-betrayal/ Fri, 09 May 2025 03:18:50 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23946 ExileInParadise made a great comment to a series I’m writing about villains. The method he calls out creates immediate campaign drama with built-in adventure hooks and tactical inspiration for play. Each role can act independently or together, keeping your faction scenes spicy. Take it away Exile…. I really like Mike Pondsmith’s “Meta Characters” from Cyberpunk […]

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]]> 3 Tips for Groundhog Day Scenarios https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/3-tips-for-groundhog-day-scenarios/ Wed, 07 May 2025 02:00:00 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23943 Wizard of Adventure Buck asks: Have you ever run or heard of someone running a Groundhog Day type game? Do you have ideas on how to do this? We know: Great question, Buck! I recently ran a Groundhog Day scenario for my Basilica campaign. For Basilica, I used Groundhog Day as a way to convert […]

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]]> Gain +1 to World Building By Making Every Encounter Count https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/gain-1-to-world-building-by-making-every-encounter-count/ Thu, 01 May 2025 02:28:02 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23936 Guten morgen. A quick update for Wizards of Adventure: the recording of Saturday’s Q&A call is now available. Some of the things we discussed on the call: Wizards of Adventure: Watch, listen, and download the recording here. Or become a Wizard of Adventure today and also get access to exclusive tools, GM techniques, and GM […]

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]]> 16 Things Every Good D&D Adventure Must Have https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/16-things-every-good-dd-adventure-must-have/ Fri, 25 Apr 2025 02:52:53 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23923 A Brief Word From Johnn A quick note that Saturday is our monthly Q&A call on Zoom for Wizards of Adventure. Let me help you spruce up an encounter, tweak a plot, or solve a tricky campaign problem. Also, if you cannot make the call, hit reply with your question(s). We’ll address them on the […]

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]]> Two Villains That Shape Your Campaign https://www.roleplayingtips.com/npcs-roleplaying/two-villains-that-shape-your-campaign/ Thu, 24 Apr 2025 12:24:23 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23919 I’m back. Thank you for the emails and well-wishes. I had some unscheduled downtime, but all is well. More news on that another time. Been thinking lately about villains. They’re actually the topic of a writing challenge I started a few days ago to get me back into rolling up some words. There are two […]

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]]> Campaign Design Lessons from The Court of Cock a Knee https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/campaign-design-lessons-from-the-court-of-cock-a-knee/ Thu, 03 Apr 2025 02:13:16 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23907 On Saturday’s Q&A call, Wizard of Adventure Andy shared his latest Campaign Prospectus — a kind of elevator pitch for your campaign. I thought it was great, and he gave permission to share it out. Here is a PDF of his Campaign Prospectus. A couple quick thoughts about it: Clear Themes Andy’s set up instructions […]

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]]> Under the Big Top: More Circus Ideas https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/under-the-big-top-more-circus-ideas/ Mon, 31 Mar 2025 23:32:52 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23890 Under the Big Top: More Circus Ideas Last year, I wrote some tips on circuses: A Clown Cart Rolls Up and Disgorges Endless Foes. Roleplaying Tips GM Jeremy Brown sent me some great follow-on tips. But before I get into those, why do I like circuses? As a GM tool, we get these outcomes: There […]

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]]> The Woes of Rulership https://www.roleplayingtips.com/npcs-roleplaying/the-woes-of-rulership/ Mon, 31 Mar 2025 03:59:20 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23887 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0110 A Guest Article By Jared Hunt To those on the outside, being the boss may seem like the best job around. Seen from the top, however, the sacrifices, responsibilities, and woes involved make being in charge a little less glamorous than it might appear. Here are just a few of the […]

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]]> 6 Ways To Help Your Players Develop Compelling Characters During Play https://www.roleplayingtips.com/players-characters/6-ways-to-help-your-players-develop-compelling-characters-during-play/ Mon, 31 Mar 2025 03:29:16 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23883 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0050 Rewards: How To Help Your Players Develop Compelling Characters During Play These tips are all about helping your players develop interesting and unique characters during play. A player who really enjoys playing their character is almost always enthusiastic during play and has more fun at the game table. And feeling interested […]

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]]> A Great Way To Design Hazards https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/a-great-way-to-design-hazards/ Mon, 31 Mar 2025 02:56:00 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23878 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #882 You could slice-and-dice hazards a number of ways, pun intended. However, you might benefit by taking a step back and thinking about their game purpose and choosing them that way. Hazards have three cool combat and action scene effects: danger, senses, and movement. Add Danger Make encounters more lethal with hazards […]

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]]> 5 Excellent Sci-Fi Tips (Mail Bag) https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/5-excellent-sci-fi-tips-mail-bag/ Mon, 31 Mar 2025 02:35:25 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23872 Monday I explored some scifi stuff with Orbital Trouble: d12 Space Outpost Hooks. Got some great responses and tips from fellow Roleplaying Tips GMs: Outposts vs. Colonies From Wizard of Adventure ExileinParadise First, for my Salvage Space RPG, I am pushing both “colonies” and “outposts” What’s the difference? Colonies are “mostly” self-sufficient on food, air, […]

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]]> Orbital Trouble: d12 Space Outpost Hooks https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/orbital-trouble-d12-space-outpost-hooks/ Mon, 24 Mar 2025 02:10:57 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23867 Had some large blocks of “waiting time” on the weekend, so I started noodling on what might make space outposts interesting. Why? I’m a sci-fi RPG noob, aiming to run my first game when things settle down a bit over here. And I’m not very familiar with the details and tropes of the genre. So, […]

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]]> 3 Design Tricks for Unique Races https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/3-design-tricks-for-unique-races/ Mon, 24 Mar 2025 01:32:23 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23864 Adding strange, wondrous, and interesting races to your homebrew world can get challenging, especially if you have a long list of races to brew up and you want to make each one unique. Here are three tips to ensure each race is distinct and thematically fitting to your setting. 1. Start With a Unique Anchor […]

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]]> Play 20 Questions With Your World https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/play-20-questions-with-your-world/ Thu, 20 Mar 2025 03:49:01 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23861 I love Jeff’s blog post here about how to flesh out your world by asking yourself a few simple questions. It reminds me of the tip about ensuring there’s a gameplay layer to your world building because we have players, not a passive audience. If you haven’t clicked over to Jeff’s post, here are some […]

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]]> Improv Tips https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/improv-tips/ Wed, 19 Mar 2025 03:37:34 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23857 Last year I ran a quick poll on the Roleplaying Tips Discord: Not scientific. And small sample data set. But it, and a newsletter on the topic, garnered some great thoughts from RPT GM Lord High PigMonkey, which I’ll share out with you today (bolding, tiny text tweaks, and line breaks are my edits): Hi […]

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]]> Daily GM Inspiration Trick https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/daily-gm-inspiration-trick/ Tue, 18 Mar 2025 01:45:41 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23851 Chat GPT recently launched a scheduled tasks feature. One task you can create will email you stuff. I’ve used followupthen.com and task features in my email app for years now to do this. For example, there a neat trick I learned from an HR consultant who did a presentation at the day job in the […]

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]]> Legacy Gems https://www.roleplayingtips.com/treasure-rewards-items/legacy-gems/ Mon, 17 Mar 2025 09:27:05 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23845 Legacy Gems is a set of homebrew rules created by Wizard of Adventure Auke. In his world of Tem, certain gems can be incorporated into magic items to enhance their power. The strength of these Legacy Gems grows alongside the wielder, reflecting their mastery and dedication. Download Auke’s gem homebrew rules here (3 page PDF, […]

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]]> Instant Encounter Inspiration https://www.roleplayingtips.com/adventure-building-campaigns/instant-encounter-inspiration/ Wed, 05 Mar 2025 03:25:52 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23838 Today’s tip is inspired by Wizard of Adventure ExileInParadise who used images in a clever way for his session two weeks ago. He described each encounter in his 5 Room Dungeon to GPT. Then he asked for a representational image. Then he shared each image with players as they triggered the encounters. From there, it […]

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]]> The Weird Physics of My Campaign Timeline https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/the-weird-physics-of-my-campaign-timeline/ Wed, 19 Feb 2025 02:33:04 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23826 I prefer to run long-term campaigns. Doing so means tracking time carefully. I don’t want to be inconsistent with past gameplay and details. I also have world and region events to trigger, villain moves to plot, and played encounters to mine for ripples and consequences. In Campaign Logger, the % symbol is used as the […]

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]]> Ideas For Churches & Cults in Your Setting https://www.roleplayingtips.com/world-building/ideas-for-churches-cults-in-your-setting/ Mon, 17 Feb 2025 02:46:19 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23822 A while ago, we chatted about how we can make Noble NPCs special because they receive special privileges and responsibilities most others in our worlds do not. RPT GM Anonymous +1 sent me this great response about potential privileges your priests and clerics might get. Some ideas posibly for your campaign… Hi Johnn, In a […]

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]]> Getting Players to Care About Lore https://www.roleplayingtips.com/running-games/getting-players-to-care-about-lore/ Wed, 05 Feb 2025 06:06:19 +0000 https://www.roleplayingtips.com/?p=23809 How to get players paying attention to your campaign lore. A great question came up in last night’s super secret GM coaching session: How do you get players to pay attention to, and care about, your lore and world details? Use AIDA as a Hook Tool First, we want to capture players’ attention. Aiki shared […]

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