Tag Archives: GM

Going Comikaze Into the Con

Rob types fluff and rolls dice. Those two hobbies sparked the immeasurably original nickname, The Typing Dice. When he’s not as his desk job, he’s prepping for his insanely fun 4E Forgotten Realms campaign. But even when he is at his desk job, he’s sneaking time to do the same, and daydreaming about building the best game room ever – a lifelong goal. One day he will design a tabletop game for the gods, and when they roll dice the world will hear thunder.  You can find him on Twitter @TheTypingDice or email at TheTypingDice@gmail.com.

The tee shirt that warranted me many high-fives.

Let me put this out there first and foremost. I am many things: GM, Writer, Gamer, and Literature Major, but not, and I repeat not an avid comic book reader. I would say I’ve read fewer than twenty comic books and five graphic novels in my entire life. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy them, or appreciate the fantastic art and channel of storytelling, because I do. I’ve just never gotten into them. I wanted to lay my cards face-up on the table so you know I will be approaching this article from the standpoint of a newbie to comic conventions.

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Method to the Madness

When I set out to write this weekly segment for my fellow creative types, I told myself that I would not write about tabletop gaming and I will tell you why. I have always used tabletop gaming as a vehicle for my writing. It gives me a reason to write and a very captive audience to tell my stories to. The rules have always been an afterthought for me. While I have easily logged the most hours as GM for our group I have never considered myself a good GM. Why on earth would any of you care to read my thoughts on being a GM? Besides, Matt has kind of cornered the market on tabletop gaming articles here at MitC. So, why after all that forethought am I sitting here writing an article about GMing? Simply put:  I got a request and I am a people-pleaser, dammit! I was asked to outline my creative process and advise on how to break the dauntingly huge task of running a game into smaller, easier to digest chunks.  So here goes…

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Rules Heavy vs. Rules Light – What’s a Player to do?

I’m only a week into my journey on improving myself as both a Player and a GM and I’ve already hit a major obstacle that requires time, patience, and a whole lot of brain power (that I’m not sure I have.)  I’ve mentioned before that I am a real nuts-and-bolts person when it comes to gaming, but in checking out a couple of new game systems and settings to prep for one-shots, I have come to a major realization:  I don’t know if I am rules-heavy or rules-light, and it is driving me INSANE!

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Go Back to Your Home!

Having trouble satisfying your adventuring itch? Maybe you need to go back to your roots.

Gaming ruts have been keenly on my mind lately. More out of coincidence than great planning, the recent podcast helped me analyze my own gaming experiences with a thorough lens. Much to the Crew’s point, the only way to get out of a rut is to acknowledge when you’re in it.

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So Much Gaming, So Little Experience

During last week’s episode, we talked about our personal gaming ruts.  Since we wrapped that discussion, I’ve been constantly working ideas through my head as to the ways I plan on breaking out of these ruts and becoming a better Player, a better GM, and most importantly, a better person all around.  Here are some of the conclusions I’ve come to thus far.

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Episode 29 – Gaming Ruts

Do you ever find yourself rolling up the same character archetype time after time?  Are dungeon crawls that end with fighting a dragon the crux of your Saturday night?  Do you play the same game so much that you could get a perfect score blindfolded and asleep?  Don’t worry, you are not alone!  Join us this week as we discuss our personal gaming ruts and attempt to sort out the reasons behind them.  Whether it’s lack of focus, obsessive desire to win, or simply being too timid to step out of the comfort zone, we do some soul searching that is inspiring, informative, and a little disturbing.  Switch sides of the table, swap that sword for a wand, and attempt diplomacy rather than thievery as you listen to this weeks brand new episode of Monkey in the Cage.

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