Actually… You Are an Author
As a Game Master, you are an author, but that doesn’t mean what most people think it does. What it mostly means is that you can learn a lot of stupid narration tricks from authors. And video games.
Ask Angry: Oh No, More XP System Nonsense
Apparently, the idea of earning experience points with gold was a pretty hot topic. I’ve been asked to follow up on my previous take, so here that is.
Let’s Build a Pretty Good Dungeon: Checkpointing
It’s time for the last piece of the four-part intro to the project that will eventually lead to a good, fun dungeon adventure. So let’s learn about path-depth and checkpoints.
The Battletoads Problem
How do you build a good monster hunt that feels like an actual monster hunt? It’s do-able, but you have to be careful not the make your game the Battletoads of D&D campaigns.
Let’s Build a Pretty Good Dungeon: How Players Explore
Now it’s time for the third and final short essay laying out the underlying design approach for our pretty good dungeon. Except this isn’t the final one and it isn’t short. This one’s all about how players decide where to go next.
Let’s Build a Pretty Good Dungeon: Exploring Spaces
Continuing my series of short, conceptual articles to set up the building a pretty good dungeon, here’s one about the idea of explorable space.
Let’s Build a Pretty Good Dungeon: Critical Paths
In the first of three precursor discussions to building a pretty good dungeon, let me explain why critical paths aren’t what they are and golden paths are better.
Let’s Build a Pretty Good Dungeon: Introduction
Hey! Let’s make a pretty good dungeon together. How about that?
The Anatomy of a Screwjob
Today, I’m going to tell you exactly how to screw over your players. That’s so you can stop yourself from doing it. Because screwjobs are bad.
Y’All Mind If I Rant About Doors?
No, characters do not break down doors and every time you let your players say they do, you ruin my game design. Stop it.
The Hacking Problem
I ran a crappy encounter and rather than accept the blame, I’m going to blame not just the system, but the fundemental underlying fabric of all roleplaying gaming ever. And I’m not even going to solve the problem. Happy Thanksgiving.
Order Matters: Guided Nonlinearity and Closed Openness
When it comes to gameplay experiences, order matters. What comes first, what comes next, it’s literally a game changer. So what’s a conscientious adventure maker to do when roleplaying game is all about letting players explore any way they want?
The Lost Adventuring Day (Part I): Merely Building an Adventure Day
The new…ish D&D DMG is actually a pretty good resource for adventure building tips, except for omitting one thing everyone stupidly hated because they were stupid. Let’s talk about The Adventure Day and what it really means.
How Well Do You Know Your PCs?
How much of your prep time should you spend before the start of a campaign reviewing the players’ characters? How much time should you spend before each session reviewing their Reactions and Bonus Actions? I’m willing to bet the correct answer is, “More than you do.”
More Shapey Goodness
Before I move on from Scenario Shape, let’s talk a bit about we might apply these ideas to detailed Encounter building. When we actually get to that. Someday.
Two Things I Hate About Virtual Tabletops (And One Thing I Love)
Time for me to be a cranky old grognard and yell about modern technology again. Except, actually, that’s not what I’m going to do at all. I mean, I am going to yell, and I am going to be cranky, but it won’t be what you think.
Ask Angry: The RP and The G and Mere Adventure Buildery
Yes, another Ask Angry, but it contains an important apology I must deliver to all of my Mere Adventure Builders before I write you an article about designing adventures around days and rests and things.
Ask Angry: Passive Knowledge and Other Examples of Passive Play
It’s time for me to answer a question from my Ask Angry mailbag. This one is about the proper and correct use of Passive Checks for Intelligence-based skills in D&D. Regardless of what the rules might say.
When Is a Scenario Not a Scenario?
I lied. Everything isn’t a Scenario. Also, Santa isn’t real. But Scenario Design is as real as Christmas and it’s just as magical.
Ask Angry: Player-Facing Rules, Death Saves, and Nothing About Alignment
In this Ask Angry Mailbag, I address several important topics, such as when I edit people’s messages, which books in my collection are the lightest, and whether I care about my readers opinions. I also answer at least a few questions I was actually asked.
Fixing Initiative Because I Want To (Part II): Angry’s Recovery Time Initiative System
Remember that long-ass rant I posted about why I thought it was worth rewriting the turn order and initiative system in modern D&D even if you didn’t? Well, guess what? I went and did it.
Fixing Initiative Because I Want To (Part I): The Ugly Rant
Yes, I know Initiative doesn’t matter but, like, what if it did matter? It really should? Whose fault is it that it doesn’t? How can I fix it? More importantly, who can I scream at about it?
How Shape Shapes Scenarios
Now that you’ve learned how to break a scenario design into hierarchical levels, I can show you how to spot — and plan — a scenario’s shape. And what that means. And why its good.
The Campaign Manager’s Guide to Conflict Resolution: Part I
I may have put True Campaign Managery on hold, but I’m still delivering on my promise to teach you how to resolve table conflicts like a True Campaign Manager. Settle in; it’s a long ride.
When to Stop Narrating
In this throwback to my classic Up Your GMing Level style advice, I provide a simple… ish way to adjudicate and narrate protracted, time-consuming actions that don’t need a bunch of moment-by-moment gameplay.
Structure All the Way Down
More True Scenario Design and more on structure. Actually, the real structure discussion starts here. Last time, I breathlessly yelled about what makes good structure good and bad structure suck. Now I’m actually going to show you structure. I’ll even outline a crappy adventure you can finish for your own use if you suck at tone and genre.
Real Game Masters Run Half-Baked Adventures
Let’s celebrate the start of the year’s back nine with an inspiring and uplifting message about how you misunderstood everything I said about everything about whether or not you suck and you suck for that. Or, to say it another way, let’s talk about real, human Game Masters balance good design with practical prep and polish.
Struction: An Introduction to Structure
It’s time to open a new chapter in our True Scenario Designery journey. So let’s talk about how scenario structure is like the beams and masts that hold up a confection shaped like an animated porifera. You heard me.
What “One-Shot” Means and Why I Hate You
This is a nasty, ugly, mean-spirited rant but lots of you need to hear it. Let me tell you what the word “one-shot” actually means and why you’re an asshole if you fight about it.
Scenario Design on a Need to Know Basis
Much as I really want to move on from the End the Goblins scenario design example, people keep asking really important questions that deserve good answers. So today’s lesson is how the final design of End the Goblins might provide the players with the information they need to win it.. And how little information that actually is.