Pop over there to read my thoughts on why Masks of Nyarlathotep is my favorite published adventure, and then check out all the other recommendations, too! There’s some all-time classics, and also some truly surprising entries. There are some I’ve never even heard of before, and you can be sure that I’m going to track them down ASAP!
You’ll be able to find me on Dungeon Masterpiece tomorrow for an interview about So You Want To Be a Game Master and the secret arts of the DM.
“So You Want To Be A Game Master” might be the best dungeon mastering advice book to be published ever. And rightly so. @TheAlexandrian has been a game designer and writer of some of the best TTRPG content and blogging since the early 2000s. Even I was greatly influenced by his earlier works. Join me as I talk to Justin about some of the novel ideas in his book, his thought process on game development, and what lead him to bring this book to bear.
The crossover you’ve been waiting for! I had a fantastic time visiting Hexed Press yesterday for a livestream Q&A about So You Want to Be a Game Master, the withering of dungeon design, and so much more! If you didn’t have the chance to join us, the great news is that you can still watch the whole thing!
So You Want To Be a Game Masterhas been adapted into an audio book by Tantor Media. The audio book is unabridged, read by the amazing Shawn Compton, and comes out today!
In So You Want To Be a Game Master, I present a complete structure for prepping and running dungeon adventures. It’s a complete framework for running your first dungeon adventure, while providing a foundation you can build on as you start experimenting with advanced and dynamic dungeons, too. If you’ve never run a dungeon before, the goal is to give you a mental model that will help bring your dungeon to life without overwhelming you. And even if you’re a wily veteran, there may be a few new tricks for you to discover here.
One specific tool you’ll find in the book, on page 71, is the Dungeon Running Sheet. This is a tool I developed for tracking the essential information for any dungeon expedition, and it also includes a small cheat sheet for common dungeon procedures and actions.
I think the sheet’s utility is fairly intuitive, but the full instructions for using it can be found in the book. This version has been expanded in size to enhance its utility and for easy printing. It’s also form-fillable so you can also easily use it on a tablet or computer.
This version was created by Erichs, who very kindly granted me permission to share it here. You can find cheat sheets, DM screens, and other resources they’ve created here.
ShadowXP has designed a Google Sheet version of the dungeon running sheet. After clicking the link, select File -> Make a Copy and then use it and customize it however you’d like!
