Game Mastery

Gameplay demo!

No cones were hurt during the recording of this episode.

We once again welcome Craig, our GM from below the equator, to help us refine our definition of the adventure hook.

He makes distinctions between in-game and meta-gaming hooks, which starts another conversation about gameplay and interaction.

And by the end, Craig agrees to take Mark, Andrew, and Tracy on a demo game to give concrete examples of how he uses hooks to pull players into the story.

Tune in to episode 29 to see how our GMs handle Craig's encounter!

Get ideas on how to make better NPCs in your games.

Andrew, Tracy, and Steve(n) take a break from the usual and talk about player stories. 

What makes a session fun for the attendees, and what can a GM do to make the campaign enjoyable.

Tracy would rather entertain than be right.

Andrew wants balance.

Steve(n) hates meta-gaming to the point of making decisions that put other PCs in peril.

How do these things work to give players an experience they'll remember?

If you never had to try and make cones fit to graph paper without the benefit of a template, nor had to deal with the way cone effects used to be handled back in the day, you may not understand Mark's woes.

Steve(n) understands, even if Tracy and Andrew go on a cone-knowledge-mocking-spree.

And then?

REVELATION!

Finally! How to envision cone area of effect becomes clear!

HUZZAH!

References:

Cone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cone

Cone on graph paper: https://i.imgur.com/xS8YLPU.png courtesy of https://www.reddit.com/user/SorteKanin/

Dungeons & Dragons. What are the differences between versions? Is newer better? What's it like to play a character from AD&D to 5e? The GMs are going to find out!

Plus, Andrew gives us an aside into patents and copyrights, the fashion industry, Disney, and why that can stifle creativity. Yes, seriously.

Planscape: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planescape

Kludgey: https://www.thefreedictionary.com/kludgey

Steamboat Willy and the law: https://mountainscholar.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11919/1453/STUW_HT_2018_Anderson_Clarissa.pdf?sequence=1

What not to do when you want players to have a good time.

If you're a GM who wants to keep your players interested, or a player who wants to make life easier for your group, come on down and take notes!

References:

How to ruin a campaign? ;) https://www.enworld.org/threads/how-to-ruin-a-campaign.94902/

This week we called in some cavalry. Autumn and Jesper from Am Writing Fantasy join us to talk about world building and storytelling! This isn't just for our listeners who GM, but also for those that write.

We talk about how to structure your campaign settings, so your players don't feel like you're beating them in the face with The Silmarillion.

We talk about characters, development, histories and how elements of great storytelling can help you be a better GM.

Autumn and Jesper are fantasy authors who have a podcast and supporting YouTube channel, they have free resources on their site(s), and the offer in-depth instructional programs for authors and world builders. They even have a free course on self-publishing!

We also talk about tools for writing and tracking your projects.

References:

https://www.amwritingfantasy.com/product/crafting-incredible-fantasy-worlds/

https://podcast.amwritingfantasy.com

https://www.amwritingfantasy.com

https://vellum.pub

We take a sidestep into the history of magic in Dungeons & Dragons *and* the history of magic itself (both historically and philosophically).

We talk about possible ways to change the flavor of magic in your campaigns, to better represent the kind of magic you want to see in your games.

We touch on hermetic traditions, chaos magic, zodiacs, how our ancestors used magic, when it fell out of favor in Rome, how it was used for good, how it was used for evil, and much, much more.

References:

Vancean/Vancian magic 

https://dungeonsdragons.fandom.com/wiki/Vancian_magic_system

Sanderson's First Law of Magic

https://www.brandonsanderson.com/sandersons-first-law/

Chinese Zodiac

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac

The Once and Future King

https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/5/18/15649214/once-and-future-king-th-white-king-arthur

The Mists of Avalon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mists_of_Avalon

More about Cold Reading

https://psychology.wikia.org/wiki/Cold_reading

Astral (tabletop remote gaming)

https://www.astraltabletop.com

Andrew and Mark help Steve(n) actually map out the story and format of a dungeon encounter for his campaign.

Using techniques covered in previous episodes, a well-thought-out and meaningful dungeon encounter is created on the fly.

The methods used in this episode can help an struggling GM visualize and create a dungeon that fits into their games.

Although used for a homebrew world, these tips and ideas can be used for any setting, from Dungeons and Dragons to Call of Cthulu to Traveller.

References:

Nicholas Montegriffo https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/dungeons-and-dragons-5e/how-to/how-to-make-great-dungeon-dnd

Dave Chalker https://critical-hits.com/blog/2011/03/04/the-5x5-method-compendium/