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If you’re reading this, you probably know how to play RPGs. However, you’ve probably had experiences where a new player at your table says they “just don’t get it” or keeps asking “what do I do?” This...

If you're reading this, hopefully you read my previous article, if not, go back and read it: Session 101, Getting Started in RPGs (Part 1) In short, I assume you are an established RPG player if you're reading this, but you've probably had experiences trying to bring in a new player who says they “just don’t get it” or keeps asking “what do I do?” This is for them. 

If you’re reading this, you probably know how to play RPGs. However, you’ve probably had experiences where a new player at your table says they “just don’t get it” or keeps asking “what do I do?” This is for them. Here is my best guide to the fundamentals of playing an RPG. Thank you to my long-suffering wife for the idea behind this article.

Welcome To The Jungle In many TTRPGs, there are options for several non-human characters. This isn't just limited to players only, even the DM will need to also describe how NPCs act. The best way to do this is look towards the Furry Fandom. A large portion of the community do RP as anthropomorphic creatures. They understand the subtleties of how non-humans move and the different kinds of body language they could exhibit.

How Are You Doing? I've covered a portion of this topic with a previous article talking about social anxiety. I want to take time to address how Role-playing can be used to help anyone in many different ways. Everyone is dealing with varying degrees of worry or concerns. Therapists even use RP as a safe way to face delicate subjects. I know the running joke that a DM is just an unpaid therapist but let's try not to overload the DM with personal baggage.

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming back. Grab yourself a drink and a snack, come sit by the hearth. Please, stay awhile and listen. I have read a lot of books. Book books. Countless hundreds of books, and to count every single one I’ve read would require the use of a time machine, since I’ve been reading chapter books roughly since the age of eight.

As I start this article I very much want to stress that, as a DM, you don't have to do voices. Don't let voices be the reason you don't start running a game. And bear in mind that most of the podcasts you are listening to have professional voice actors (as an example, listen to Malevolent, amazingly all the voices are by one person, Harlan Guthrie).

I Cast Fireball A major rule you will come across a lot is something called Area Of Effect(AoE). I will only be covering grid based maps and not hex based maps. The rules here are based on 5E and the images that follow come from Xanathar’s Guide To Everything. Other RP systems may have different rules than listed here and are beyond the scope of this article.

ALT: Over It, Leave Me Alone: So Much Stuff

Tables are one of the iconic elements of TTRPG culture. No, not a sponsored post, I'm talking about random tables, sets of items that you roll dice to select from as you play. When Matt Groening needed a bit to represent Gary Gygax on Futurama, his pull was literally just random tables.  But, there is also a lot of pushback on tables.

When I was studying martial arts, there was a saying around our studio “You learn a technique in 4 ways, you are taught it, you do it, you teach it, and you have it done to you.” Photo by Simon Dreher on Unsplash A similar idea goes for RPGs. You learn to play a game in many ways, you can read it, watch it, play it, run it, or write it.

Are You A Forever DM? Today's article is for the more advanced DM. Maybe you've been the DM for your group for such a long time and you forgot what it's like to be a player? If this is you, you already possess a lot of skills to help other players feel valued or even inspire them to better RP.

Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening everyone. Thank you for coming back. Grab yourself a drink and a snack, come sit by the hearth. Please, stay awhile and listen. Living in the “middle of nowhere” within Massachusetts, or anywhere for that matter, is a unique experience. I, for a while, lived my early adult years with my parents in a house on the outskirts of my hometown of Middleboro.

I can't count the number of times I've seen a particular piece of game master advice stated as objective fact. It goes something like this: "Risk is what makes games exciting. Therefore, it is your job as the GM to make sure the players are constantly in a healthy amount of fear for their characters' lives. This will keep them alert and engaged, leading to greater enjoyment of the game."

We have looked at planning versus improvisation. We have looked at published content versus homebrew. But what about One Shots? One Shots are a single (maybe two) session adventure. You may use them for a group who will never meet again. You may use them as an interlude for your normal party, especially if one person can't make it that night.

As a budding DM, have you thought "official published material or my own stories (homebrew)"? This simple decision dictates the overall feel and vibe of a campaign. It is about your long term approach rather than the session itself. Of course you could just stick with one-shot games, but that is a different skill altogether which we will cover another time.

What Is A Difficulty Check(DC)? (Image from the 5E DMG, page 238) One of the most common acronyms in D&D you will hear a lot is DC. DC stands for Difficulty Check, which is a universal mechanic that states how hard it is to complete a check. Yet, that can be misleading to new GM/DMs. This table is a good starting point to have an idea but, the numbers must be scaled depending on a players level.

Level 20 Exists? Most campaigns tend to fizzle out or end before level 20 in D&D. There's an odd balance issue that happens where players are too powerful at level 20 and there are not any creatures that can keep up with them, but this is something I've never experienced. Today, I'm going to give you a plan to run a campaign designed to reach level 20 quickly.

I am a huge advocate for "Immersive Actions" in D&D and other TTRPGs, they improve your game's atmosphere, give you chances to role play and hand your DM great bits of imagery to work with. To get a handle on what I mean by Immersive Actions, let's join a playgroup on a typical Thursday night. DM “You’ve cleared the bugbears in the hallway and you see an open doorway leading into a 15 by 15 room on the left.

I am a huge advocate for "Immersive Actions" in D&D and other TTRPGs, they improve your game's atmosphere, give you chances to role play and hand your DM great bits of imagery to work with. To get a handle on what I mean by Immersive Actions, let's join a playgroup on a typical Thursday night. DM “You’ve cleared the bugbears in the hallway and you see an open doorway leading into a 15 by 15 room on the left.

Storytelling games help children build confidence, express emotions, and create meaningful screen free moments with their parents.

It’s June, Pride Month, and I am, and have long been, an unapologetic supporter of the LGBT+ community. This article is not about why. Why is simple, I think that people are people and love is love, a...