preparation

I am one of those GMs that regularly writes session summaries for me and my players. I think it is easier to write session summaries as a GM than as a player, because as a GM I planned a lot of the events that happened in the session and went through the most important things already vividly...

The captain's voice came over the intercom, "All passengers prepare for docking." Eagerly peering out of the shuttle viewport, I watched breathless as the distant stars began shifting in response to the docking maneuvers. Quickly, a limb of Sie Siete, a ring of dust and ice around Nieci, came...

5 Ways To Power Up Your Secret Doors From JohnnFour | Published November 8, 2021 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1,179 Brief Word From Johnn Today I've got some secret door tips for you. I also had time to add some reader tips from my backlog afterwards that cover a variety of topics. Before we...

Use This Clever Tool To Herd Your Cats - Plot Factories From JohnnFour | Published September 28, 2021 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1,173 A Brief Word From Johnn Today's tips are about one of my favourite GM techniques. But before I share my ideas on Plot Factories, I wanted to let you know...

3 Easy Ideas To Generate Instant Adventure Ideas - Plot Factory Tutorial Part II From JohnnFour | Published October 18, 2021 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1,175 Brief Word from Johnn I have a couple of website updates before I show you how to create a plot hook machine for your campaigns...

4 Ways To Surprise Players Who Know All The Monster Stats From JohnnFour | Published November 1, 2021 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1,178 Brief Word From Johnn I don't know about you, but my Murder Hobos know the monster guide inside and out. So I asked guest writer Jonathan Hardin for ideas...

3 Round Combat Plans for Lightning Combats - Part I From Johnn Four | Published March 8, 2021, updated May 16, 2021 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1,148 In Faster Combat, a Three Round Combat Plan is how your combat will end after your side has had three licks against the other side. Why would...

Ten Tips For Stress-Free Gamemastering From Kevin Davies | updated May 20, 2021 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #020 Like many gamers, when I first entered the hobby, I thought that it was desirable and even necessary to have rules to account for the outcome of every possible Character action or...

Never Forget Your Dice Again From JohnnFour | updated May 20, 2021 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #019 What’s in your portable game master kit? Except for a few strategic digital replacements, my kit is the same as 17 years ago when I wrote the article below! These days I have a game after...

5 Time Management Tips For Busy Roleplayers From JohnnFour | updated May 20, 2021 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #013 One of my biggest challenges as a game master today is time management. There’s just too much to do in my professional and personal life to devote as much time as I really want...