Are you an old-time DM or a new one? If you’ve only recently started enjoying Dungeons & Dragons as a DM or another game as GM then this list of compiled wisdom might be of benefit for you. On the other hand, if you’ve been in the hot seat for years now is there a […]
15 alternatives to starting your fantasy RPG in a tavern
It’s not wrong to start your fantasy adventure with your to-be-heroes in a tavern but it is a cliche. What if you want to do something different? An accessible and wise approach is to have your players work together to build some reason to care for the other PCs into their own character’s background. ‘Session […]
RPG Ideas: Running games in a historical context
Tim Chant is a gamer and author (and baker) based in Edinburgh. His latest project, The Frost Fair, asks ‘what if?’. What if history worked out slightly differently. Would the world be very different? Geek Native invited Tim to suggest some ideas for running RPGs in a historical context and he stepped up to the […]
12 different ways to roll up your DnD character
The official Player’s Handbook in Dungeons & Dragon’s 5e offers two suggested ways of discovering your character’s six attributes. You can either assign points from a balanced array of numbers or roll 4d6 and drop the lowest dice. The method is to create PCs who are likely to be a bit more notable than the […]
38 reasons why players might quit your D&D game
Have you ever wondered why someone quit a game on you? Often times it is due to a change in circumstances. The player might have moved away or have a new job with a new schedule and simply can’t make the game any more. However, people also quit games when they’re not having fun any […]
What do you do as a DM when you realise you’ve made a terrible call?
We’re only human and sometimes we make mistakes. DMs might muddle up initiative order or something just as easy but more serious like forget to act as a helpful NPC or confuse the effects of aggressive magic. It happens. As a rule players are generally good at coping when the DM fesses up to a […]
25 strange weather effects for your fantasy RPG
As a GM you might be populating a world full of magic, gods might battle in the skies and demons stalk the night. Despite all this magic, despite the strange elements and powers… the weather remains pretty much boring. In fact, it rarely rains and only when you remember! This post contains a bucket of […]
35 ideas for a non-musical bard
Bards are an important character class. They can make the difference between party success and party failure… but do they need to have some skinny character prancing around with a lute? No, they don’t. Here’s some ideas for a non-musical bard! Orators Your bard could be a storyteller, diplomat, motivational speaker, poet, philosopher, puppeteer, political […]
22 ideas for a spellbook that isn’t a book
Many tabletop RPGs have a spellbook as a necessary in-game item for wizards and spellcasters. The spellbook is generally used as a mechanical means to both limit and explain the spells the character has access to. However, some GMs might allow characters to use an item that has the same mechanical effect while giving off […]
How do you handle players who don’t act within their alignment?
Many games have alignments as mechanics or character sheet attributes. The alignment of the character should determine how they act and might impact the game in what abilities they have access to. It might also be important in systems with ‘detect evil’ and similar spells. What’s a DM to do if a character acts outside […]
