How to Run Encounters… NOT!

This is the start of a series of True Game Mastery lessons about running different kinds of Encounters. Except it’s not. Because Encounters aren’t what you think they are.

Dealing with Problematic Actions

Action adjudication is pretty straightforward. Except when it’s not. And when a tricky action comes along, Mere Game Executors are stuck executing the game’s pre-programmed code like robots while True Game Masters follow the Three Laws of Game Mastering NonRobotics.

The Tao of the Dice

It’s tough to know when to call for a die roll and when not to. And no matter what anyone’s told you — including me — there’s no substitute for good, mature, adult judgment. So throw away your checklists and simple rules and trust your gut.

Inviting the Principal PC to Act

A True Game Master paces the game with smooth narration, flowing seamlessly from scene to scene and moment to moment. Unfortunately, a TTRPG is a dialogue, not a monologue, and eventually the players get to kill the pace by talking.

Better Narration Through Visualization: A Lifestyle Guide

Narration: the art of telling your players what’s what and who’s where. If you find yourself muddling to provide good Scene-Setting Narration, maybe it’s not your skills that are the problem, maybe it’s your lifestyle. Seriously.

What it Means to Master a Game

I can’t teach you to be a True Game Master — yes, that’s my plan; I love doing the impossible — I can’t teach you to be a True Game Master without telling you what it means to master Game Mastering.

Why Run Games Anyway: An Angry New Year Story

The New Year is a good time for reflection. Searching the past for the clues that’ll help you find a better future. So, this New Year, Angry invites you to think about why you even do this whole game mastering thing.

Fumble Beats Crit

Hot take: fumble mechanics are more valuable than crit mechanics. In fact, crits are only valuable if the monsters are rolling them. But I’m only proving one of those things today.

We Don’t Need Failure States After All

There’s this discussion that happens anytime anyone brings up death, failure, and loss in RPGs online. About how RPG systems should be better at handling failure because it’s so vital in RPGs. And that discussion… is wrong.

Presentation Matters

Let’s complain about a how a twelve-year-old game’s brilliant ideas were marred by the language used to communicate them. Because that’s a GOOD use of my time.

Introducing: Your Character

It turns out that it’s actually important for players to periodically describe their characters to the group. Unfortunately, players suck at everything. Especially describing characters. Fortunately, I wrote a script you can force them to follow.

Well Begun is Half Done

How you start your game determines how it goes. And that doesn’t just affect you, it affects your players. Fortunately, Angry’s got a startup script you can install in your GM brain.

What if Your Players Don’t Want To?

I’ve been pushing GMs to turn all the bookkeeping and character maintenance crap in D&D into a game of its own. Or rather, into a part of the game at the table. But many GMs have raised a question: what if their players don’t want to do that crap.

What Training Looks Like and Why It Matters

One of the most important Townbuilding tools, believe it or not, has to do with Training. And that’s why it’s such a problem that no one knows what PC Training looks like.

Supplemental Bulls$%&: The Time Between Adventures

I designed this thing I’m calling Town Mode so the stuff the players do in Town actually matters. And so that there’s a game to play in Town. But if you don’t know how to handle the time between adventures, it won’t work for you.

Town Mode: What Happens in Town Mode

It’s time to explore Town Mode once again. But before you waste too much time on this s$&%, you might want to know why it’s actually worth it.

Town Mode Lesson 1: Town with a Capital T

On the heels of Let’s Start a Simple Homebrew Campaign, it’s time for a new masterclass. This one about building, running, and playing in town. Or rather Town.

The Lumberjack Social Boss Fight

It’s time for another tale of grand, epic adventure from the Angryverse. But first… If I’m going to keep sharing these Angry Table Tales, there’s something we’ve got to iron out. Especially if you’re one of my players. Current or former. Thing is, I reuse a lot of s$&%. I mean, obviously, I reuse the…

The Dancing Halfling Dungeon

Story time… Once upon a time, a bunch of heroes stumbled into a randomly generated dungeon because some halflings were being too loud.