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@Mishihari Lord : Thanks. I think that's a good idea. If brigands constantly wander through the town it's a lot different that soldiers marching through all the time. Also, it would give some indication of what modes of transport are available (boats, carriages, etc.). @howandwhy99 : Ha ha...

Ha ha, I've played that adventure a few times and never realized that. You learn something new every day. :P I guess I always had it in the back of my mind that the lawful stats were there in case the players went completely AWOL, but I never considered that you could actually run it as a...

@howandwhy99 : Holy cow, that's awesome. Kind of makes me want to try out your campaign sometime. The creation of a new campaign for me is usually something along the lines of: "Okay guys, this world is called Korg, try not to powergame too much". I really like the depth you get into when...

@Johnny3D3D : Ha ha, looks great! I know adventure ideas can be a bit tricky to come up with, especially when writing up villages. I think a few vague ideas is just what you're looking for. @delericho : I think that's a fine idea. I guess, dealing with fantasy, I tend to come up with names...

@DMZ2112 : I couldn't agree with you more. I never read that particular interview with Gary Gygax (sounds really interesting) but it's something he would say. Also, it makes a lot of sense. I'm also, first and foremost, a storytelling GM. I really enjoy writing, creating adventures, and the...

Most GMs, at some point in their illustrious careers, will have to design a village. What at first appears to be a ridiculously easy task will, on closer inspection, turn out to ‘be’ a ridiculously easy task. In case you’re designing your village at 2 a.m. and can’t think straight, there’s...

@amerigoV : Ha ha, I bet there's a pretty good story to that 'never trust an undead' bit. I think the idea about giving the GM some administrative tasks is great. I'll definitely pass that solution on to the DM who gave me the idea for the article. The DM in question has said I'm a royal pain...

Retelling your adventures can be a lot of fun. You’ll remember things you’d forgotten, laugh at the funny things everyone did, and it makes for a good story in the process. Some people like to recap all of their adventures at the start of the next one, some like to brag about their exploits...

amerigoV: Ha ha, no worries. That's still pretty dang cool. I think it's a proud moment for a GM when he finds out that the game designers have implemented something he's been using for years. ;)

Okay, first off, I’d like to explain the question mark in the title. One: it’s one of the requirements of the articles here on En World. Two: it’s because even I don’t know how to do this. Okay, you can read the article now. I think we can safely assume most GMs know ‘how’ to be a player. The...

@LonePaladin : Hey, great idea! That's actually just the thing I was thinking about for the Genius, but you've explained it far better than I ever could have. I also like how the mastermind plans things out retroactively instead of the other way around (preemptively). This would make for some...

@TerraDave : Great suggestion! I hope you don't mind that I stole your idea (if you do, I'll remove it). It's a sweet campaign suggestion. I can't say I ever started a planar campaign at first level, but many of my existing campaigns morphed into planar games over the years. It's a unique...

Many campaigns are based around cool plots, interesting characters, and awesome settings. No matter how cool your campaign intrigues are, however, you’ll need an awesome fight scene at some point. While your heroes might be fond of solving all their problems with words and skill checks, there...

@Phil Nicholls : Great suggestions! I really like the ideas of weaving flashbacks and interludes into the game and using different game mechanics. I definitely plan to check out your Interludes post ASAP. Thanks for sharing the web link! @Fetfreak : I absolutely love that idea about the...

Creating your own campaign setting is one of the most rewarding parts of being a GM. You get to create fantastic lands, interesting locales, cool NPCs, and more. A good campaign is like a living and breathing world. Not only is it a place with history and character, it’s also a fantastic...

@sabrinathecat : Ha ha ha, I think that just made my day. Loved the last paragraph about the non-gamer! While I can't say I've run into too many 'Force-sensitive Brash Female Pilots (19??)', I can definitely agree about the evil priestess. It sounds like a pretty classic archetype. Animals...

You can never have too much game mastering advice. Just as you can never have too many monsters, too many successful adventures, or too many times the villain reappears and says, “Ha, you thought I was dead, did you?” The below is a list of all-purpose game mastering tips which you can apply...

Most of the time you’ll be trying to avoid creating a stereotypical character in an RPG. For those other times, there’s this article. Halfling Thief Your Halfling thief should be: scared of everything, fat, whine and complain, and furthermore he should try to steal anything valuable he...

@Crothian : I certainly understand your point of view. I'd just like to point out that I'm in no way affiliated with Flint and Steel and that I was the sole creator of that 'pitch' line. It wasn't my intention to use it as advertising. I was merely following the new column rules and format. The...

Are you looking for a new RPG with no levels and no classes to constrain your creativity? If so, your quest may have just ended! The new Flint & Steel RPG is just that. This week I’ve put together a bit of a Q&A with game designer Bora Mitricevic regarding his new game system entitled...