Ask any serious gamer as to what drew her or him into a life-long avocation, and many of the answers will likely boil down to being inspired by this or that role-playing game or setting which inexplicably fired their imagination. For other gamers, close friends or family introduced the hobby to them at some point in their lives, and the enjoyment of shared fellowship and experiences at the table brought them back time and again.
But that’s just the WHAT and WHY of playing RPGs. The HOW of playing an RPG is a much more personal and difficult topic to define – roleplaying being a style as well as a way of playing a table top game.
Gnome Stew / Engine Publishing released a book last year trying to define and dissect the essence of role-playing, to get at the very heart of the hobby which so many gamers have embraced over the years. Their book, Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters, captures the styles, thoughts, ideas, and tools of successful authors and designers known throughout the gaming community – a guide to honing the talents of game masters in any RPG system!
Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters
Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters is a collection of articles on various methods and inspirations on the topic of using improvisation in Role-Playing Games. This anthology contains 23 essays by 23 well-known authors, game designers, and game masters, covering a wide range of topics.
Production Quality
The production quality of the Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters is exceptional. The writing is top-notch, as would be expected given the caliber of the essayists lending their expertise to this anthology, and a layout which, though simple, is pleasing to the eye.
This slim paperback is graced with a cardstock cover with a glossy finish and striking full-color artwork and an eye-catching design. Inside there is a table of contents as well as an index, to cross reference essays which discuss particular topics. Font choice and formatting are well done and allow the Reader to speed through the content with alacrity.
The illustrations in Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters are very good, with a lovely cover art, and interior dotted with whimsical sketches and diagrams. Although unnecessary in a book of essays, the interior art is nice little subdued visual clue as to the nature of each article.
It’s more an Art than a Science…
Game Mastering is a demanding and often thankless task which lies at the very core of any successful role-playing game. No matter how awesome the rules and mechanics are, without a Game Master, most role-playing games simply can’t function.
And learning to be a good Game Master is no easy task. While some gamers are naturally talented enough to run an RPG campaign, such individuals are a rare breed. The vast majority (including this Reviewer) are self-taught and self-trained, learning by hard knocks, harsh player critiques, and plain old acquired experience.
So when a book drops on the market that delves into not one or two, but almost two dozen authors and game designers thoughts on being a Game Master, it’s definitely worth a look!
Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters is a phenomenal collection of essays: part self-help book and part inspirational guide to being a better GM and role-player. As a whole, the essays are fantastic, with some of them really sticking out as noteworthy reads to provide advice and methods to make the experience of role-playing wonderful for both players and GMs.
Editor Martin Ralya did a stellar job at harnessing the diverse writers wen creating this anthology, not to mention penning the introduction to the book and an essay of his own, “It’s Okay to Be Weird”. While all the articles in the book are worth a read, a few of them really stand out using improvisational techniques to tackle issues which have plagued GMs since the foundation of the hobby.
John Arcadian’s piece on “Getting Off the Railroad and Onto the Island” does a great job of addressing the fear that many GMs have about letting loose those reins on the plot, and just see where the campaign can go unharnessed. However, if things get too out of hand, Stacy Dellorfano takes on the topic of “Off the Rails: When the Party Jumps the Track”, with some solid advice on how a GM can prep to go with the flow and not worry so much about where the players go so long as they end up, more or less, at the destination.
Another very solid piece is Kenneth Hite’s “Improvisation in Horror Games” to maximize and enhance those feelings of dread which lies at the heart of terrifying tales. And “An Ear to the Grass: what David Lynch Can Teach You About GMing” by Alex Mayo presents some fantastic concept of letting the player characters drive the story, and how to guide and harness that amazing energy to a better campaign.
There’s even some very practical methodology and advice here in a few essays, most notably Jennell Jaquays “Just in Time Improvisation: The Procrastinator’s Tale”. Listing off nearly a dozen excellent tips for harnessing one’s inner improvisationist, quick and easy ideas which are bound to get results!
Overall Score: 8.3 out of 10.0
Conclusions
Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters is just one of those books that comes along and offers so many good ideas to the RP gaming community. It equips GMs with some great tools for handling a gaming group and running a campaign, without talking down to the Reader or presuming too much. The books contains advice which is quite system neutral, and presents solid theorycraft about the power of improvisation to enhance a role-playing experience on both sides of the GM screen.
The only real drawback is the price at a hefty 20 bucks for a fairly skinny paperback. But for those gamers who don’t mind reading a PDF, that version of the book is more modestly priced and well worth consideration for some invaluable and sagely gaming wisdom.
Editorial Note: This Reviewer received a free copy of the product in paperback format from which this review was written.
Grade Card (Ratings 0 to 10)
But that’s just the WHAT and WHY of playing RPGs. The HOW of playing an RPG is a much more personal and difficult topic to define – roleplaying being a style as well as a way of playing a table top game.
Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters
- Writers: Robin D. Laws, Emily Care Boss, D. Vincent Baker, John Arcadian, Filamena Young, Scott Martin, Jennell Jaquays, Kenneth Hite, Jason Morningstar, Meguey Brown, Eloy Lasanta, Alex Mayo, Kurt Schneider, Michelle Lyons-McFarland, Wolfgang Baur, Don Mappin, Monica Valentinelli, Phil Vecchione, Stacy Dellorfano, Walt Ciechanowski, Ken St. Andre, Jess Hartley, Martin Ralya
- Editing/Introduction: Martin Ralya
- Art/Illustrations: Christopher Reach
- Publisher: Gnome Stew / Engine Publishing
- Year: 2014
- Media: Paperback (114 pages)
- Price: $19.95 (Available for $9.95 in PDF format from RPGNow.com)
Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters is a collection of articles on various methods and inspirations on the topic of using improvisation in Role-Playing Games. This anthology contains 23 essays by 23 well-known authors, game designers, and game masters, covering a wide range of topics.
Production Quality
The production quality of the Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters is exceptional. The writing is top-notch, as would be expected given the caliber of the essayists lending their expertise to this anthology, and a layout which, though simple, is pleasing to the eye.
This slim paperback is graced with a cardstock cover with a glossy finish and striking full-color artwork and an eye-catching design. Inside there is a table of contents as well as an index, to cross reference essays which discuss particular topics. Font choice and formatting are well done and allow the Reader to speed through the content with alacrity.
The illustrations in Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters are very good, with a lovely cover art, and interior dotted with whimsical sketches and diagrams. Although unnecessary in a book of essays, the interior art is nice little subdued visual clue as to the nature of each article.
It’s more an Art than a Science…
Game Mastering is a demanding and often thankless task which lies at the very core of any successful role-playing game. No matter how awesome the rules and mechanics are, without a Game Master, most role-playing games simply can’t function.
And learning to be a good Game Master is no easy task. While some gamers are naturally talented enough to run an RPG campaign, such individuals are a rare breed. The vast majority (including this Reviewer) are self-taught and self-trained, learning by hard knocks, harsh player critiques, and plain old acquired experience.
So when a book drops on the market that delves into not one or two, but almost two dozen authors and game designers thoughts on being a Game Master, it’s definitely worth a look!
Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters is a phenomenal collection of essays: part self-help book and part inspirational guide to being a better GM and role-player. As a whole, the essays are fantastic, with some of them really sticking out as noteworthy reads to provide advice and methods to make the experience of role-playing wonderful for both players and GMs.
Editor Martin Ralya did a stellar job at harnessing the diverse writers wen creating this anthology, not to mention penning the introduction to the book and an essay of his own, “It’s Okay to Be Weird”. While all the articles in the book are worth a read, a few of them really stand out using improvisational techniques to tackle issues which have plagued GMs since the foundation of the hobby.
John Arcadian’s piece on “Getting Off the Railroad and Onto the Island” does a great job of addressing the fear that many GMs have about letting loose those reins on the plot, and just see where the campaign can go unharnessed. However, if things get too out of hand, Stacy Dellorfano takes on the topic of “Off the Rails: When the Party Jumps the Track”, with some solid advice on how a GM can prep to go with the flow and not worry so much about where the players go so long as they end up, more or less, at the destination.
Another very solid piece is Kenneth Hite’s “Improvisation in Horror Games” to maximize and enhance those feelings of dread which lies at the heart of terrifying tales. And “An Ear to the Grass: what David Lynch Can Teach You About GMing” by Alex Mayo presents some fantastic concept of letting the player characters drive the story, and how to guide and harness that amazing energy to a better campaign.
There’s even some very practical methodology and advice here in a few essays, most notably Jennell Jaquays “Just in Time Improvisation: The Procrastinator’s Tale”. Listing off nearly a dozen excellent tips for harnessing one’s inner improvisationist, quick and easy ideas which are bound to get results!
Overall Score: 8.3 out of 10.0
Conclusions
Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters is just one of those books that comes along and offers so many good ideas to the RP gaming community. It equips GMs with some great tools for handling a gaming group and running a campaign, without talking down to the Reader or presuming too much. The books contains advice which is quite system neutral, and presents solid theorycraft about the power of improvisation to enhance a role-playing experience on both sides of the GM screen.
The only real drawback is the price at a hefty 20 bucks for a fairly skinny paperback. But for those gamers who don’t mind reading a PDF, that version of the book is more modestly priced and well worth consideration for some invaluable and sagely gaming wisdom.
Editorial Note: This Reviewer received a free copy of the product in paperback format from which this review was written.
Grade Card (Ratings 0 to 10)
- Presentation: 9.0
- - Design: 9.5 (Awesome writing styles; solid layout; handy index for research!)
- - Illustrations: 8.5 (Lovely cover art; interior illustrations a nice unexpected touch)
- Content: 8.0 (Fantastic essays; many of them must-reads for all GMs!)
- Value: 6.5 (A bit pricey – however, the PDF is fairly reasonable)
