How gamers can become readers…which they should!

Reading is an absolute necessity for creators.  And that applies to Game Masters and game players as much as it does to any other creative!

But if you’re like me, a grown-up gamer who is already juggling family, work, and gaming, it can be hard to find the time to read.  And therein lies the problem.  My creative juices flow better when I read.  I feel more engaged and “in touch” with the world when I read.  But when I don’t read?  Well, let’s say it leaves the creative fields of my mind fallow.

Shouldn’t it be easier to develop ourselves intellectually?  Shouldn’t regular reading be a simple discipline to develop?  You will develop a healthy habit of reading if you follow the process that I followed.  I read every day at work (that’s not a discipline…that’s work).  But I also read for myself at home.  And you can too!  Here’s how you can develop the same practice: Continue reading

Should game masters threaten player characters?

It appears that I struck a real chord with Tuesday’s article on player character death.  Why did so many GMs and players respond so passionately to my post?  Because players sometimes get mad at GMs when their characters die.

Not all players and not always.  But it does happen and it creates tension at the tabletop, when players are angry over their characters’ deaths.

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Another final shot of our fallen comrade. RIP Elder Cunningham.  FWIW, the beholder there is actually a giant snake.  I wouldn’t do that to Level 2 adventurers!

One particular response (from @theTinyGM on Twitter) took exception to my use of the word “threat” in relation to PC death.  Her concern was that the language of a threat might set up a confrontational relationship between GM and player.  Of course, nothing could be further from my intention.

But it raises the question: can GMs create conflict and challenges for PCs–can they “threaten” the livelihood of adventurers–without creating a confrontational atmosphere?  I’m convinced you can!  If I can pull it off, you can too!

Here are the three steps you can take to create a challenging situation that will end in nothing but fun and mutual respect at your gaming table:

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Should player character death be a possibility?

Many of you have been writing and tweeting, asking how the Chasing the Dragon project is going.  Well, we’re five sessions into The Village of Hommlet and we’ve got two player character deaths on the books.  In fact, here’s a picture from our last session:

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You can see poor Elder Cunningham (our cleric) lying slain amidst his foes.  You can also see the pain on Patrick’s face (Elder’s player) on the top left, as he grieves his character’s untimely demise.

As a GM, I really feel bad when PCs die.  I want players to have a good time…and having your character ignominiously slain with one attack (RIP Elder Cunningham) just doesn’t seem like much fun.  So it leaves me with a question: should PC death be a real potentiality?  Or should GMs avoid it at as much as they can?

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How can you keep your players engaged and excited?

What was the last movie that you saw?

I’m ashamed to say it was Ted.  Yes, the Mark Wahlberg movie with Peter Griffin talking for a foul-mouthed, pot-smoking teddy bear.  I was getting over a stomach virus.  I needed a laugh.  So sue me!

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Enough about me, what was the last movie that you saw?

Twenty bucks says you had a pretty good idea how the movie would end well before it ended!  Stop and think about it.  Most movies forecast the end, so that we anticipate the ending in advance.  And until that expected ending comes, we’re on the edge of our seats.

But what does that have to do with gaming?  A LOT.  Game Masters have a lot on their plate.  And one of those responsibilities is keeping their players engaged.  How can we utilize this same technique used in most movies to keep our players on the edge of their seats?

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Learning from Gary Gygax: Consistency

Reading is one of the best things any gamer can do.  Especially GMs.  It’s hard to be creative in output, when you’re not taking in creative input.  Every night when I go to bed, I read.  No more than thirty minutes, sometimes no more than a paragraph.  But I always read.  What do I read?

I’ve been on a real history/biography kick lately, thanks to the Broadway musical, Hamilton (man, you’re really getting a grasp of how geeky I am today).  I finished off 1776 by David McCullough a couple of weeks ago and then in only two weeks’ time (really rare for me), I finished an amazing biography of Gary Gygax by Michael Witwer, called Empire of Imagination.

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Not only was it written in an engrossing narrative style–not only was it written about a current obsession of mine–but it also had a lot of helpful tidbits for gamers like ourselves, who like to sneak away once or twice a week to get a taste of freedom and fun in imaginary lands.

So in this first installment, I’d like to share the first thing I learned from THE Dungeon Master in my stroll through his life story:

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What Adventure Should You Run?

D&D 5th Edition is finally coming of age.  If you’re a DM just getting into the game (like myself), you have a short time before you hit option overload.  The number of quality modules and campaigns being published by WotC and through the DM’s Guild is quickly getting to a saturation point, if you haven’t been working through them already.

As a DM, though, you really want to present the best gaming experience that your players can have.  So where and how should you start?  With the Starter Kit?  With the sweet new Storm King’s Thunder campaign?  Or perhaps with something new, original, and creative?

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Rather than recommending a resource to you, I want to do you one better.  I to help you, Dungeon Masters and Game Masters, to find your own personal game style and to choose accordingly.  Here’s how:

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Does growing up mean giving up gaming?

“Fantasy as a cultural phenomenon felt vaguely unsettling to me.  I wondered if pervasive escapism had infantilized an entire generation.”

So began a quest for Ethan Gilsdorf, journalist and geek par excellence.  The quest: to explore every form of fantasy roleplaying games, in order to discern whether they are healthy entertainment for responsible, balanced, functional adults.  He raises the same question that I’ve posed before: does growing up mean giving up gaming?

The result of his search is the fascinating book Fantasy Freaks and Gaming GeeksI devoured the book very quickly and I commend it to you.

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In the end, Gilsdorf names a number of reasons that tabletop RPGs in particular are healthy activities for adults–they encourage problem-solving, team-building, and creative thinking, for starters.  That said, I have a followup question:

If playing tabletop RPGs is so healthy for adults, why is it so hard to find a group to play in?

I’m blessed to live in an area with an active gaming community.  But I know that for many of you, that’s not the case.  What’s to be done for those who lack that resource nearby?

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When work follows you to the gaming table…

I’m sure you’re familiar with the popular sitcom, The Office, whether in its British or American versions.  They’re both excellent, for the record.

Regardless, it’s a story of people who never seem to leave the office.  Even when they leave the office, the relationships and issues seem to follow them!  And this experience is not foreign to us.

We bring our work home with us literally, emotionally, and intellectually.  We work on it at home.  We stew on it at home.  And we think about it at home.  And we even bring our work to the gaming table.

How long does it take you to engage as a player or GM?  How often do you find your mind wandering to the meeting earlier in the day?  Does your work end up wandering into your headspace during your gaming, introducing unneeded distraction and stress?

If it does, it probably leaves you asking: is it possible to disconnect?  Is it possible to just chill out and enjoy the evening without worrying about spreadsheets, projects, and emails?

I promise you: it is possible to disconnect.  And here’s how you can do it:

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I don’t always use grid maps, but when I do…

This is the fourth post in a series on responsible and affordable AD&D shopping.

This one goes out to the GMs in the crowd.

Let’s be honest.  You’ve got a tough job.  I mean, sure, you love it.  You love the adventure, the creativity, and of course the unfettered power.  Wait, did I just say that out loud?  Don’t mind that, players.

Anyway, being a GM is great.  Until it comes to prep time.  You gotta read that module or gather those stats.  You’ve got story hooks, plotlines, and story arcs to parse out.  Even if you’re one of those rare unicorn GMs who does minimal prep (not me), there’s still one piece of preparation that you probably think about a bit: maps.

Of course, this could raise a contentious debate as to whether players need a grid map at all.  Here’s my answer to the question:

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Modules for Learning to DM AD&D

New DM for AD&D?  Want to know where to start?  Me too.  I’ve never DMed this system, let alone played it.  So I may be getting ahead of myself.  Regardless, I took everyone’s advice and started at square one:

T1 – The Village of Hommlet

For many players, this was their first experience of AD&D.  A very sandboxy Gygax module featuring a sleepy town with more than meets the eye.  And, of course, a dungeon.  What sets this module apart from others that I have read is this: there is no quest, no storyline, no plot.  Only very detailed and interesting setting.  For a beginner DM, this could be very challenging.

But what other options are out there that support new DMs and new players?  A challenging question, to be sure.  Hommlet is Gygax’s only introductory AD&D module.  But there are a few out there that I’ve tracked down.

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N1 – Against the Cult of the Reptile God

Another village.  With yet more secrets.  I think a pattern may be forming.  This module was actually written specifically for new DMs, so it might actually be my first recommendation for those looking to learn.  If I were not trying to go through all of Gygax’s work, this module would probably be the one I started with as a DM.

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