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 Cursed For Divine Transgressions (a d20 Table)
Posted: Mon, 04 Nov 04:18:57
Category: World Building, Factions, Religion

I’m homebrewing a setting called Duskfall, and I’ve reached the creation step I call The Powers That Be. With this technique, I ask: What powerful NPCs can control or influence the setting, and more specifically, can affect my plotlines and the party’s actions? By NPCs, I mean gods, powerful monsters, villains, factions, and any other […]

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 Pantsers vs. Plotters: Being an Agile GM
Posted: Mon, 04 Nov 03:35:14
Category: Adventure Building & Campaigns, Adventure & Campaign Building, Agile Gming

In our August Wizard of Adventure Q&A Zoom, the topic of plotting came up. Afterwards, fellow GM Loren sent me this note about different ways of plotting a book: Quick note on “pantsers and planners”: I’m sure I’ve seen it elsewhere, but James Scott Bell starts his “Write You Novel from the Middle” with discussion […]

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 Death Straw
Posted: Fri, 01 Nov 03:22:47
Category: World Building, Adventure & Campaign Building, Inspiration

What if the way people in your setting mourn the dead could spawn new adventures? In response to this world-building detail about knocker-uppers, I received a nice tip from RPT GM Cheryl the Shadow: Hi Johnn, When someone died, it was considered respectful to keep it quiet around their home, so straw or hay was […]

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 Roleplaying Tips Turns 25!
Posted: Tue, 29 Oct 03:37:21
Category: News

I don’t recall the exact date I made the decision to start the Roleplaying Tips newsletter. I bought the domain on August 13, 1999. And, in the first week of November 1999, newsletter #0001 went out to three email subscribers: I’m not great at planning and enjoying milestones like this. I don’t do much on […]

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 Knocker-Up: The Forgotten Profession of Waking People
Posted: Thu, 24 Oct 04:01:37
Category: World Building, Inspiration, NPCs & Roleplaying

What if your alarm clock was a person with a 10 foot pole? Shared by @Exile in Paradise on the RPT Discord server: This could be an interesting world-building detail for towns to go along with town guards and town criers… A knocker-up or knocker-upper was a member of a profession in the Netherlands, Britain, […]

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 Inspire Your Campaigns with a Movie Exchange
Posted: Thu, 24 Oct 03:52:24
Category: Players & Characters, Gming - Beginner, Inspiration

A friend and I have started doing something that’s turning out to be a lot of fun. This could be something you do with your players for campaign inspiration. My friend and I each put together a Top 10 Movies list. Actually, I said when handing my list over, “These are 10 great movies. I […]

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 My Weird d20 Ritual
Posted: Mon, 21 Oct 05:47:12
Category: Running Games, Johnn's Games, Running the Game

I recently traded emails with a GM where we were talking about rolling dice, and this reminded me about a time in high school when I stole a fellow player’s d20. High crime indeed! We were playing C3 The Lost Island of Castanamir. A guy named Jamie was GMing. And I quite liked another player’s […]

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 Engage Players This Way When the Stakes Are High
Posted: Fri, 18 Oct 05:14:20
Category: Players & Characters, Encounters, Gming - Beginner

Ever wondered how to turn a near-death experience into a moment of group triumph? I recently realized there’s something I do when GMing that I don’t think I’ve shared with you before. This falls under the umbrella of player engagement and is a fantastic method any GM can use to keep your whole group engaged. […]

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 Let Them Have The Last Word
Posted: Thu, 17 Oct 01:26:43
Category: Players & Characters, Descriptions, Gming - Beginner

I played The Dark Eye RPG again on Sunday. And with the GM’s permission, I’d like to share a tip I gleaned from the session: Let players have the last word. This can be taken on a number of levels. The case I’m talking about from the session is the end of a player’s turn. […]

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 Roleplaying the Villain Xancrown
Posted: Mon, 14 Oct 03:13:14
Category: NPCs & Roleplaying, Monsters, Villains

The grand finale of The Demonplague has the party facing off against the mighty demon, Xancrown, in his dungeon prison within the heart of Luna Valley. Today, I’d like to share a summary of his stats and then some tips on how to roleplay him. Before I dig into that, a reminder that the price […]

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 Halloween Meets The Demonplague: Spooky Nights in Luna Valley
Posted: Wed, 09 Oct 03:33:24
Category: Adventure Building & Campaigns, Adventure & Campaign Building, Plots

As I mentioned in yesterday’s email, My Unfavourite Time Of Year & Price Increase Heads-Up, the price of The Demonplague goes up at the end of this week. If you’ve been thinking of buying the complete campaign and getting all its loot, you can still get everything for $39 until October 11. Click here to […]

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 My Unfavorite Time of Year & Price Increase Heads-Up
Posted: Tue, 08 Oct 03:20:37
Category: News

Guess what day this game master was born on? Halloween. That explains a lot about me now, right? People ask if it’s my favorite day of the year because of that double whammy. I snarl back: “I’m the Scrooge of Halloween!” Every birthday, I’m besieged by dozens of people pounding at my door. And these […]

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