#gamemastery

Val clumsily brought his eighth glass of whiskey to his lips, wondering if, finally, this would be the shot that would do him in. The shouts of combat and explosions rang in his ears, and through his swimming vision and equally muddled thoughts, the image of Tyrash, his grim smile and the explosive barrel at

Welcome to the table. Every GM makes mistakes. Sometimes the mistake goes unnoticed, or the GM quickly remedies the situation without the players ever being aware that there was a problem in the first place. Other times, GMs make mistakes that bring the game to a halt, forcing both the players and the GM to

Strass was lost. Surrounded on three sides by towering stone walls, he groaned in frustration and looked to his two companions. Val and Azreal stood nearby, arguing over a crudely drawn map. Taking out his axe, Strass felt the comforting weight in his hands. He smiled as he imagined using it on Faldren the deceiver.

Tyrash’s arms ached, and a sharp pain in his spine reminded him of his recent scrape with a group of thugs. A clawing fear slithered down his spine, causing the sharp pain to flare up again—he was getting old. Standing at the base of a winding mountainous path, Tyrash watched his companions nimbly climb the

The adventurers were in trouble, and Val knew it was his fault. Standing before a group of guards, Val, Tyrash, Azreal, and Strass watched as a portly shop owner squinted at each of them. As the merchant’s eyes fell on Val, the stolen bread in his sleeve seemed easily noticeable. Val closed his eyes as

Hoping to avoid Countess Farsight’s rage for having killed a duke during a party in her estate, the adventurers made their way north. Looking out across an icy, wind-swept tundra, the adventurers trudged wearily toward a solitary fortress on the horizon. The adventurers wondered about what kind of life would await them in this new

Welcome to the table. Weeks of investigation led the adventurers to the Farsight Estate, where a gathering of nobles provides a perfect opportunity to identify who wants them dead. During this session, the players experienced a new design for social encounters—one that required them to roleplay as the nobles from whom they wanted information. Let’s

Welcome to the table. The other day, I had the opportunity to be a player at the table of a new GM. The game play was fun, and the story interesting, but most of all, I witnessed a decision I immediately planned to use in my own games. As the GM would hand out magic