Game Master Tip #8 – What’s in a name?

What’s in a name?  As said by Shakespeare’s Juliet “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” And while our star-crossed lovers may still have quaffed their apothecary’s brew, I doubt audiences would be as eager to attend “Garth and Janet” as they are “Romeo and Juliet”.   But what can we do to improve our characters’ names?

Whether creating the next big villain or simply adding some good back-story flair to that goblin the party just decided to interrogate, creating a name for your non-player characters (NPCs) can set the scene as well as any physical description.

The Communication Barrier a.k.a The Game Master’s Screen

If they are used properly, storyteller’s screens are a valuable tool in running and managing your game.  Used improperly, these paper walls can be an imposing barrier between the players and the storyteller, a physical manifestation of the subconscious castle that inexperienced (or just plain bad) game masters take shelter behind to avoid player conflict.  By reducing the height of this castle wall and placing it strategically on the table we can transform it from a castle wall to a stage curtain that empowers the game master in productive ways.

Player Tip #4 – Keep Organized

Nothing is more frustrating than waiting for a disorganized player to find their dice or figure out a skill roll.

Arriving at a game session with the necessary equipment is important, but being prepared to actually use it is equally important.  As with most other aspects of life, organization is the key to a smooth gaming experience.  So let’s take a quick moment to go over some things that you can do, as a player, to be more organized at the game table.

Player Tip #2 – Building a “Real” character

Let’s put the Role Playing back in Role Playing Games!

As a former LARPer, I may be a bit biased about creating an immersive atmosphere for even tabletop games.  This week’s Player Tip is about encouraging that in-depth feel at the game table, and building a more “realistic” character for a more fun game.

Trials of Everrun – Trials and Errors

Thursday night was a pretty slow night in the Trials of Everrun session.  As my previous posts mentioned, I have been ill so I did not put the requisite planning into the game.  I did not have props for my letters or really have much of anything fully “written” in terms of scripts and stats.  Complicating this further, there was a bad accident on the road outside the game shop that made just about everyone late – and Drip Dry did not arrive until nearly 7:30 – an hour late (and an hour and a half after he usually arrives).

Despite this, the players seemed to have a decent time entertaining themselves, so I’m classifying it under the accidental folder of the “win” category.

Game Master Tip #2 – Using Note Cards

Today we continue our weekly look at tips and tricks for game masters and players.

DFRPG : Beginning Characters

In the DFRPG series, we’re going to follow a group of new players – The Bad Batch – as they explore a completely new system and world.  We are working through the Fate-driven Dresden Files Role Playing Game.  This was especially exciting for me as I have read every Dresden Files book and consider the series to be a favorite of mine.