Curated Useful GMing Tips (Ongoing)

 


[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 tips from David Christ, proprietor of Baldman Games (who has worked with over 5000 different GMs from various conventions): 1) PREPARE!, 2) Have fun & smile, 3) It's ALL about the players, NOT the GM. Other tips from him: Be the player's advocate, study the rules, farm out rules lawyering to the players.

  • Brandon Gillam (Runehammer) recommends in his sublime ICRPG rulebook that GMs should do the D.E.W. for every game session. D=Danger: Consequences for failure; E=Energy: Do not allow lulls to make peril seem distant; W=Wonder: Create imagry & descriptions that are awe-inspiring.

  • [vtt] Have all of your "things" in each room ready before game time. Denizens on the map but invisible, items in item piles but invisible, etc.

  • Consider always staying in initiative order so everyone gets a turn for spotlight time.

  • [ip] Consider printing item cards for the players to hold when they find specific items in your adventure.

  • Consider foreshadowing traps and such in a safe manner before players start triggering them. e.g. They see a skeleton laying in the hall, clearly killed by poison darts or they find an already open pit trap with spikes and a dead body at the bottom.....

  • Try to telegraph danger and the magnitude of it before the players make contact. e.g. minions discuss their boss, etc.

  • [ip] Check these scrolls out for props! You don't have to glue them shut, just use twine and write the spell name on the inside. Fun!

  • We all have the rules-savant player at the table. Consider farming out rules judgements to them if some of the rules are not clear in your mind.

  • Don't like it, then don't use it, but I am here to tell you that AI (Perplexity in particular) is a FANTASTIC muse, and resource to bounce ideas off and even playtest stuff.

  • Scott Rehm (The Angry GM) says the single most important thing to keep players engaged is INVESTMENT, meaning they are invested in the game, their characters, the story, and the world. Simple things to help them to get invested are: Give NPCs one unique trait and repeat it every time the PCs meet the NPC. Have an occasional surprise recurring NPC or villain. Try to inject mirth into your game. Use cliffhangers as session endings.

  • The Session Recap: There are multiple ways to recap sessions week to week, with the two most popular methods being 1) the players are asked to do the recap at the start of the new session, or 2) the GM does the recap for the players. I propose a third, more difficult option: Create videos narrated by a third person that tell the story as it progresses each week and post them to YouTube. I use AI for the videos and have an NPC that the players will eventually meet narrating the story. They love it and look forward to them each week.

  • This is an EXCELLENT resource to share with your players on how to be a better player, which makes the game more fun for everyone. My favorite is asking players to ensure everyone has spotlight time by encouraging each other to do stuff each round.

  • Player Qty: 0=Solo, Just you and some type of engine. I recommend Perplexity.ai | 1=Duet, Just 1 GM & 1 Player. I recommend a hireling for the player to run and an NPC that the GM runs. | 2=2 players & 1 GM. Great if you start out like this and add players. Harder if you have missing players and are down to this for a session or two. | 3-5=The Sweet Spot. Most game tables. | 6+=large group. 6 is okay but more becomes challenging for the players to have spotlight time & have fun.

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