Join me on the RPGBOT.Podcast and Get Ready For Epic Sessions!

No more searching for ways to become a great Game Master! If you’ve ever wanted to unlock your potential to create unforgettable tabletop roleplaying games, then the new book So You Want to be a Game Master by ENnie Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling Author and game designer Justin Alexander is the perfect guide for you! With step-by-step tips, tricks, and strategies for running incredible sessions on any game system, this book is a must-have for aspiring Game Masters. On this episode of the RPGBOT.Podcast we talk with Justin Alexander and learn about the secrets of crafting amazing encounters, battles, and dungeons.; and find out how you can make your gaming nights even more fun and memorable!

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As we enter the new year, I’ve got some updates on what’s going on with So You Want To Be a Game Master.

To quickly bring everyone bring everyone up to speed:

• The book arrived at the publisher’s warehouse in mid-October and was immediately shipped out.
• The street date was November 21st, but stores stocked them in mid-November as they arrived.
• For many overseas countries, the books were still in shipment on the North America release date: Either in container ships, hung up in customs, or processing through local distributors.
• The book almost immediately began selling out. Domestically, this meant rapid fluctuations in estimated delivery dates until, shortly before or just after Christmas, most online retailers reported the book to be completely out of stock.
• Overseas, the pattern was more complicated: Initial release date was usually conservatively listed as January (since they didn’t want to over-promise on the vagaries of international shipping), but in many cases the books arrived in December. But they would then almost immediately sell out — so people would see delivery estimates go from January (cautious promise), to December (it’s here!), and then to June (we’ve waiting on international shipping again!).

Obviously, everybody involved — me, Page Street, Macmillan, the bookstores — want to be able to sell you the book. So what’s happening?

First, some people have told me that the publisher “obviously” shorted the initial print run. This is not the case. The initial print order was quite large for a first time book, and reflected both their confidence in the book and the amazing success the book had in preorders.

(Tangentially: Thank you to everyone who preordered the book. It has an exponential effect on a book’s success in the modern book market, and it’s also the reason we have an audio book!)

The book was just INSANELY successful. Literally no one expected it to become a USA Today Bestseller, but it did!

This is what followed, and where we are now:

• Within three days of the book’s release, a second printing had been ordered.
• This second printing was then MORE THAN DOUBLED in size.
• It was not enough, and a THIRD PRINTING of the same (more than doubled) size has been ordered.

The second printing has come off the presses and is now in the bindery. Within days, these new copies will be shipped to the publisher’s warehouse. From there they’ll be shipped into distribution.

The third printing is slightly behind the second printing, but should arrive in the publisher’s warehouse by the end of January.

In North America, this makes it likely (but not certain!) that new copies will start reaching readers by the beginning of February. I am sorry to say, however, that international retailers are going to face the same wait with international shipping that they did with the first printing. (We are very hopeful, however, that the new supply should be sufficient that the book will not immediately vanish from shelves again.)

BUT I WANT THE BOOK!

Of course you do!

If I was forced to pick one problem for the book to have, “unexpected runaway bestseller” would certainly be the one I would pick. But it still sucks, and I feel awful that so many people haven’t been able to get the books they ordered.

So here’s the deal:

1. Barnes & Noble currently has 700 copies. We don’t know how many copies are in their distribution center for online sales vs. how many are on shelves in B&N stores, but if you’re looking for a copy of the book RIGHT NOW, check your local B&N and/or their website.
2. Call around to other local stores, including game stores. There could very easily be a copy sitting on a store shelf near you.
3. If you have a preorder with a retailer you trust to honor the preorder, keep that preorder (at least until you have another copy of the book in hand). It should give you priority when the second printing resupplies the distribution channels, and will likely be the quickest way for you to get a physical copy in many cases.
4. Otherwise, place a preorder ASAP. Again, this will give you priority in getting a copy ASAP when the second printing arrives.
5. There is both an e-book and, in North America, an audio book edition, available from all the places you’d expect to find e-books and audio books available for sale. If you just can’t wait (and I don’t blame you!), there’s no faster way to get it.

I know this is immensely frustrating, but I’d like to thank all of you once again for your support. And I hope you all find the book worth the wait!

At 2:00pm CT today, I’ll be making an attack with Roll for Combat! as we share tips for becoming the best GM you can be!

We sit down with award-winning author Justin Alexander from The Alexandrian, who just released a must-read book for all TTRPG players, So You Want To Be A Game Master, where he will give you tips and tricks on improving your TTRPG game!

If you can’t join us for the livestream, you can always check out the video later!

SAVE THE DATE!

Recently I’ve posted a few ultra-short scenarios that I’m referring to as quick shots. (You’ll find links to them down below.) I’ve had a few people express confusion over what the “point” of these scenarios was, so I wanted to take a moment to talk about that a bit.

Something I think about a lot is how to make RPGs more accessible as a hobby. We have a vision of what it means to play a roleplaying game in our heads: It’s a group of maybe a half dozen people sitting at a table for four to six hours. Maybe, if we’re feeling really ambitious and a little “rules light” about it, we imagine a “lightning-fast” two or three hour session instead. It’s more likely to go the other way, though, with the same group of people doing a long session once a week for several months or years. If you close your eyes, you can probably see them huddled around the table in your dining room or the corner of your local gaming store. Heck, they might be there right now! They’re probably having a great time!

But this is a vision — a preconception, if you will — that makes it hard to sell people on a new RPG. The typical RPG player is missing out on all kinds of awesome games that they would really love if they ever tried them, but they haven’t because trying a new RPG feels like a big commitment. This is even more true for people who have never played an RPG before!

Compare this to a typical board game, where the play time is rarely longer than a single evening. Many board games, in fact, can be played in less than an hour, providing an easy gateway for new and casual players to get hooked on the board game experience, thereby creating the next generation of gamers interested in longer and more complicated games. At a game store or convention, in fact, we even have an expectation that we can run or play short demos showcasing the basic gameplay of a game in just a few minutes.

If you’re interested in a board game (or board games in general), it’s easy to get a taste of it. If you’re a GM or a game store that wants to let people know about a cool new game, it’s easy to give them a taste of it.

How much is our vision of “how RPGs are played” getting in the way of actually discovering cool new RPGs? Can we change the way that we think about RPGs?

One solution to this problem, of course, is an open table, and I talk about that in the Open Table Manifesto.

But is there a way we could also give people a “casual dip” into an RPG? Is it possible to give them a taste of an RPG in twenty of thirty minutes?

Yes.

I’ve been working on these basic ideas for a few years now, and I’ve heavily playtested this concept in a variety of settings — at my home table, in game stores around the country, and at gaming conventions.

And it works.

SETTING THE SCENE

Since RPGs generally aren’t set up to support this kind of play, you will need to do a little prep.

RULES: If the players are already familiar with the rules, that’s great. If you’re planning to introduce new players to the game, though, you’ll probably have more success with relatively simple games. Or, with more complicated games, you’ll want to give some serious thought to how you can strip the game down to its most essential mechanics.

Either way, I recommend having a cheat sheet prepped for the game (and enough copies so that every player can have one).

It can be very effective to literally script and practice a 5-minute introduction to the game. For my introductory scripts, I’ll often prep a short outline with bullet points that I can easily run through.

CHARACTERS: If you’re using an RPG in which characters can be created even by completely new players in 5 to 10 minutes, then you can easily include that in your quick shot session. Examples of this include the original 1974 edition of D&D, Magical Kitties Save the Day, and Technoir.

Tip: Something that will often trip you up here is buying equipment, which can turn into a huge time sink. I recommend prepping prebuilt equipment packages to simplify and speed up the choices being made. Of course, RPGs in which equipment is handwaved or can be handled through preparedness/load mechanics are also great.

What you’re often looking for here is a game in which characters are generated, rather than being built. These usually includes key decision-making by the player, which has the positive effect of getting them creatively invested in their character, but keep that decision-making focused through the generative elements.

If character creation in your system of choice isn’t lightning fast, you’ll want to have a stack of pregen characters that the players can choose from.

SCENARIO: In designing and running quick shot scenarios, what I’ve found works best is basically one complex scene with (a) a specific goal or problem, but (b) no prescribed solution for achieving that goal or solving that problem (so that the players have to engage in some creative problem-solving).

A micro-raid is often the perfect fit for this: A simple, secured location with multiple access points to choose from and a couple or three defensive measures that need to be confronted or overcome. Also take a peek at The Art of Pacing: Running Awesome Scenes for practical tips in structuring non-trivial scenes.

An easy trap to fall into here is just running one big combat scene, particularly in a system where the typical combat encounter takes 20 minutes to run. In practice, for a quick shot, this creates a very monotonous and unsatisfying experience. Combat can certainly be part of the equation (particularly in a system where it can be resolved quickly), but you’re going to get the best experience from a scenario that offers a more diverse range of options.

Finally, adding some sort of unexpected twist or surprise to the scenario goal is ideal, since it will help you nail the landing.

OTHER SUPPLIES

In addition to the rulebook, cheat sheets, character sheets, and scenario sheet, you’ll also want pencils, paper, and dice. I’ll keep all of these together in a file folder or small box, so that I can, for example, pull out my Over the Edge: Hijack Express pack as easily as I might snag a board game off the shelf.

DEMO GAMES

If you’re running a quick shot as a demo at a game store or convention, you’ll want to take a little extra effort to give the RPG an attractive, eye-catching display. This is something that often happens naturally with a board game when you lay out the board and other components, so it can be easy to overlook. But this is an approach I’ve had success with.

• Stand the book upright so that its cover art can do the selling for you.
• Lay out the character sheets, pencils, and dice in a well-organized way.
• Try to find some sort of graphical centerpiece to tie the whole thing together. Over the Edge, for example, features a poster map of the Edge that you can place in the center of your demo area. Monte Cook Games, on the other hand, has Numenera game mats you can use.
• The GM screen for a game is already designed to stand upright. I recommend not using the screen for a quick demo like this (as it cuts you off from the person you’re sharing the game with), but having it set off to one side is usually a great visual showcase.

If you can, create a standee for the game which clearly states the intended length of the demo. Something like, “Have an adventure in just 20 minutes!” (In our playtests, we found that if we just announced an “RPG Demo,” people’s preconceptions would assume a multi-hour commitment. Even verbally saying that it only takes twenty minutes seems less effective than displaying it in print.)

RUNNING THE QUICK SHOT

A quick shot is, quite obviously, a fraction of the length of a “typical” RPG session. To make the experience fun and worthwhile, you absolutely have to (a) hit the ground running and (b) keep the pace fast-and-furious.

The scenario goal should be big, bold, and clear, and it will help give both you and your players focus.

• Don’t dither — make, quick decisive rulings.
• Make big, bold choices.
• Push the players hard and, if possible, put them on the clock.
• Remember that there are no long-term consequences, so take big chances.

I also like to use a kitchen timer: Set it to 20 minutes and go, go, GO! It’ll keep you focused and help shape the pacing of the session. You might even find it effective to put this where the players can see it, reminding them that they’re literally on the clock.

Good gaming!

QUICK SHOTS
Magical Kitties Save the Day: The Witch’s Hut
Over the Edge: The Hijack Express

Go to Part 1

Angela: I saw twelve goblins and at least six ogres.

Courtney: I don’t want to fight them in a big open room. If they surround us, we’re toast.

Shayne: Yeah, it would be a lot better to funnel them into a tighter space.

Courtney: Okay, what if we go back to the heliotrope hall and then ring your cowbell? They should hear that and come to investigate.

Shayne: That’s good. Okay, we’ll do that. What happens when I ring the bell?

GM: …nothing.

An “encounter” in an RPG can mean a lot of different things. To keep things simple, we’re going to start by just talking about combat encounters, which we’ll define roughly as “one or more bad guys that the PCs fight.” Furthermore, let’s consider the simplest possible combat encounter:

• 4 goblins

That’s it. That’s the encounter.

We know nothing about where these goblins are or how they might be encountered during the scenario, but this also means that we have almost infinite flexibility in how this encounter could be used.

Of course, we’ll often want to add more details and specificity to this encounter. For example, we might ask ourselves where these goblins are located and key them to a specific room. We could go one step further and specify what they’re doing in that room. We could even take a fairly general activity (“the goblins are painting pictures”) and make it even more specific (“the first goblin is painting a princess being eaten by a dragon, the second goblin is painting a blade of grass dripping with blood, etc.”). And, of course, all of this specificity could be done in a different way: They’re painting different pictures. Or they’re doing something other than painting. Or they’re located in a completely different room.

A specific location, however, is not the only type of specificity we might bake into an encounter. For example, maybe these goblins have been sent to assassinate one of the PCs. Or they could be keyed to a random encounter table (which serve any one of a wide variety of functions in the scenario/campaign).

As you’re thinking about how specific a particular encounter should be, there are a few broader principles that are useful to keep in mind.

First, there’s a central tenet of Smart Prep: Focus your prep on stuff that you can’t improvised at the table. If, for example, you’d be comfortable improvising what, exactly, the goblin painters are painting, then you don’t need to spend time specifying those details in your notes. (Particularly since it may never come up in play, in which case you’ll have just wasted that prep time.)

Second, there’s the electric thrill of dynamic encounters. Whether you’re using random encounters, adversary rosters, proactive nodes, or some similar technique, having the bad guys dynamically react to the actions of the PCs is a fantastic way to make the world come to life, create incredibly deep gameplay, and emphasize that the players’ choices are the heart and soul of what makes RPGs a truly special medium. All of these techniques, however, require encounters that can be flexibly and easily used in many different ways: The goblins need to be able to move around the dungeon. Or send one of their members to raise the alarm. Or split up. Or be sent on a mission to hunt down the PCs.

Third, on a similar note, there’s active play in general: You want to prep toys that you can use to actively play with your players. Set piece encounters can be fun and effective in their own way, but you can’t play with them.

PRECIOUSNESS

What we’re driving at here is a difference between specificity (additional details) and preciousness. To proffer a definition: The fewer ways in which you can dynamically alter or use an encounter, the more precious its presentation and/or prep becomes.

Here’s a classic example of precious encounter design, from Keep on the Shadowfell:

I won’t repeat the full text of the encounter here, but here’s a brief summary of how it was prepped:

• Goblin miners and their drake companions are placed in specific locations a specific room, as indicated on the map.
• The PCs need to arrive at the encounter from the staircase and their miniatures are placed on specific squares when the encounter begins.
• There’s a tiered Perception check made from the staircase, with prepped dialogue for the goblins depending on how well the PCs roll on the check.
• The goblin’s tactics, customized for this specific room and their starting locations, is detailed.
• Specific actions are scripted to the plans, ladders, and ramp.

What if the PCs make a bunch of noise approaching this room? Well, the goblins can’t leave this area or all that scripted content has to be thrown out. What if some of the other goblins in the dungeon retreat to this room? Once again, a bunch of scripted content has to be thrown out.

The encounter is precious because great value — in terms of prep and creativity — has been invested into details which are highly dependent on specific conditions and/or actions. And that value either shouldn’t be carelessly wasted or, at the very least, the GM will be unlikely to WANT to waste it by using the encounter in a different way.

We can begin to generalize here: Is the encounter tied a specific location? Does it have to be triggered in a specific way (e.g., the bad guys have to take the PCs unawares; or the PCs need to come through a specific door; or it needs to take place in a forest)? Does it require the PCs to lack specific abilities? Or have specific knowledge?

Not all specificity, you’ll note, is preciousness, because not all specificity limits the dynamic utility of the encounter. For example, we could imagine giving each of the goblins in this encounter a specific name. That prep may or may not prove useful in actual play, but it’s not dependent on the goblins being located in a specific room or meeting the PCs in a specific way.

PRECIOUS SYSTEMS

Another form of preciousness can come from the mechanical balance of tactics-based RPGs, in which PCs can usually regain most or all of their resources before every fight. This design removes the strategic play of resource-depletion over the course of multiple encounters, which also means that weaker encounters can never contribute to the challenge of the game.

Such games, therefore, have a fairly narrow “sweet spot” each encounter needs to hit: Too weak, it’s pointless. Too strong, it’s TPK. This, in turn, usually eliminates dynamic encounter design: If an encounter is precisely balanced, you can’t have the bad guys call for reinforcements because that will tip the balance.

This, of course, is a form of preciousness: Your ability to dynamically alter an encounter or use it in different ways during play is limited by the tactics-based balance.

In my experience, encounters in these tactics-based RPGs tend to also become precious in other ways: If your encounter design is already being locked into a narrow paradigm, you might as well lean into it.

TOO PRECIOUS

On this note, therefore, it’s important to remember that preciousness is not inherently a bad thing. It’s not that you should NEVER have Little John guarding the log bridge against Robin Hood, but rather that being aware of how and when you’re making your encounters precious — and also if/when the system you’re using forces preciousness — is useful.

What you want to avoid, though, is making your encounters TOO precious, something which I sometimes refer to sardonically as My Precious Encounter™ design. Broadly speaking, this means double-checking whether the preciousness you’re baking into the encounter is actually necessary, or if you’re just crippling your own prep and giving yourself extra work for no reason.

OTHER PRECIOUS ENCOUNTERS

As I mentioned, we’ve been simplifying things by focusing on combat encounters, but you can find preciousness in other types of encounters, too.

In fact, just locking an encounter into being a “combat encounter” is a form of preciousness: After all, couldn’t we negotiate with the goblins? Or trick them? Or sneak past them? Or recruit them? Or convert them?

The reverse, of course, is also true. “This is the encounter where the PCs will negotiate with Sir William” (and the encounter is designed as such) is more precious than simply prepping Sir William as an NPC whose scenes could play out in myriad ways.

And, again, this isn’t inherently a problem: The principles of smart prep, in fact, encourage preciousness. (At least, up to a certain point.) There are plenty of situations in which you can have a very high confidence in how an encounter will play out at the table and you should be prepping it accordingly.

Even in these circumstances, however, I think you will find it useful to keep one eye — if not your primary focus — on the broader utility of what you’re prepping. In other words, make precious only that which brings value.

Your toys should not become so precious to you that you can no longer play with them: Take them off the shelf, take them out of the box, and see what you can create!

Go to Part 19: Ignoring Character Backstories