The Practical Guide to Becoming a Great GM – Hard Cover

Ever fancied running a tabletop roleplaying game where the whole thing practically runs itself? Imagine sitting back, a knowing smile on your face, as your players navigate a world that unfolds with a life of its own. That’s the core idea behind this detailed and useful book.

We’re talking about building your game in such a way that you, the esteemed Games Master, can genuinely enjoy the ride, watching how your carefully laid plans play out. It might sound a bit like magic, but it’s all down to understanding and implementing constraints right from the get-go. Now, you’ve likely been doing this on some level already, that little voice in your head guiding your decisions. But this practical guide to becoming a great GM is all about bringing those subconscious thoughts into the light, making them conscious tools you can wield with precision.

Master these constraints, and what are you left with? The good stuff, naturally. You’ll be free to focus on the real artistry of game mastering: making your players shiver in their boots, squirm with delight at a clever twist, or sit utterly transfixed as you paint a vivid picture of those forgotten temple ruins. And fear not, this book delves deep into that too, showing you how to truly bring your world to life with compelling descriptions and atmosphere.

Inside, you’ll find chapters covering all sorts of essential know-how, including:

• Where do good ideas actually come from?
• How to truly expand the boundaries of your imagination.
• Discovering your own GM style – understanding its strengths and, dare we say, its weaknesses.
• The crucial constraints of a GM and why they’ll actually make you stronger in the long run.
• Expectations – how to identify them and use them to your advantage.
• How to set goals that genuinely work for your game.
• Choosing your world – whether you’re crafting your own from scratch or adapting an already beloved setting.
• Creating a world that feels alive and breathing.
• The art of making your own campaign from the ground up.
• Exploring different campaign styles and choosing the one that fits your group like a well-worn glove.
• Designing campaigns with longevity in mind.
• Crafting truly amazing and memorable adventures.
• The concept of autonomy within an adventure.
• And even a peek into the fascinating world of NPC AI, and much more!

The book itself is structured in a sensible way, broken down into three distinct phases, each colour-coded for easy reference when you need a quick reminder down the line:

• Phase One: You

  • Looks at understanding our game at its core: why we play it, and how we interact with it from a social perspective. It’s rather important to be aware of the fundamental reasons behind our shared enjoyment.

• Phase Two: Your world

  • Shifts focus to the practicalities of creating a fantastic gaming experience for both yourself and your players. Understanding how to build a compelling world, design a campaign that keeps everyone engaged, and maintain that interest over time are the key areas we explore here.

• Phase Three: All the pieces

  • Brings all the elements together. We’ve got the foundational understanding, we have the big picture in mind, and now we look at setting up your game in a way that, dare we say it, practically runs itself. This frees you up to truly play the game alongside your group, rather than being bogged down in endless preparation.

Now, this isn’t just a load of theory, mind you. “The Practical Guide to Becoming a Great GM” is meant to be exactly that: practical. Every chapter includes at least one or two tasks, which we’ve called “encounters,” that you can actually complete. These are designed to help you really embed the ideas and principles of the book into your own personal method for preparing and running your games. Think of them as little exercises to flex your GMing muscles.

And here’s a rather important point: this guide is designed to work with absolutely any roleplaying game system. Doesn’t matter who wrote it, when it was written, or what its specific rules are. The fundamental principles of how we run a game remain the same, regardless of the mechanics. This book focuses on those clever and cunning ways to make your games better, no matter what system you happen to be using. So, whether you’re slinging spells in a fantasy realm or navigating the gritty streets of a cyberpunk metropolis, this guide has something valuable for you.