Cloud Shouting with a Grognard

  Curated List of GM Instructions Lots of posts on Reddit ( r/dungeonmasters , r/rpg ,  & r/dmacademy )  ask "What are good resources for GMs to become better?" or some such. I have listened to almost all of the recommended ones and here is the curated list for your use but also indexing for me for future! Matt Coville Mike Shea Brandon Gillam Jerry, Jared, & Ed Seth Skorkowski

  [ip = in-person, vtt = virtual tabletop] So many sites and YouTube videos offer tips, but mostly abstract things like 'engage the players', or 'improve improvisational skills', etc. I wanted to provide "nuts & bolts" tips that you can use immediately. I will continue to update this as I run across good ones. Behold: When describing, use three (3) senses i.e. smell, hearing, & sight. Try to do sight last. HERE is a nice writeup. To modify disruptive player behavior, try talking to them first, then reward them with in-game benefit (advantage, inspiration die, etc.) for modeling good RP. [ ip ] When using full-sized maps for in-person games, a good FoW solution is to use 15mm black chalk pens on a sheet of thin plexiglass over the map. Then simply wipe (or scrape with putty knife) away when areas are explored. [ ip ] To remember who has a torch going, Dwarven Forge  or McKee's make little mini torch bases that actually light up! Top three (3) GM...

Preparing for convention games pays dividends for the GM & players that combines organization, creativity, and a deep love for tabletop roleplaying. I learned a lot from David Christ, the Baldman Games CEO, who did an interview on Mike Shea's podcast: The DM Deepdive . He came up with the following as traits of a good GM (having worked with over 5000 GMs): It's about the players, NOT the GM; Prepare!; Have fun & smile. Here’s how my process usually unfolds, step by step, to ensure my games run smoothly and players walk away happy. Playtesting and Fine-Tuning Before the convention, each adventure is playtested twice with two separate groups: once on Foundry VTT to catch digital interface and pacing issues, and again in person to simulate the live table environment. This doubles as a stress test, helping uncover any hiccups in rules comprehension or player engagement. Study Complicated Rules I will try to study the things that are difficult to remember at the table, but s...

Aligning Player & GM Expectations 09/24/2025 Here’s the straight talk: Campaigns thrive when everyone agrees on what kind of fun is on offer, and that only happens when expectations are explicit, visible, and revisited as the game evolves. Why aligning matters When expectations are left unspoken, they don’t disappear—they collide mid-session as arguments over tone, lethality, rules emphasis, or spotlight habits; making them explicit turns friction into focus and empowers better choices about characters, tactics, and roleplay. Clarity also accelerates trust; once it’s clear how rulings, safety, and story framing work, creative risks feel safe and players lean in harder to the story and challenges. The four tools used together I align my table with four complementary tools: a Player Type Survey, a GM Style outline, a TTRPG Preference Matrix, and a post-season/session survey; together they reveal what energizes players, what the GM commits to delivering, and which campaign “dials” sho...