Role Playing Tips - By Johnn Four

9 Game Master Tips From Valdron Inc.

Build Party Chemistry Through Skill Sharing

Party chemistry can be built if characters teach each other skills, such as trading martial arts lessons for language classes.

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Surprise Players Through Misdirection

Ask for a character's score in a totally irrelevant, obscure skill, and you can misdirect player expectations and surprise them.

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Use Gifts As Plot Hooks

A gift with a mystery attached can start an adventure.

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Create a Character Skill List When Planning

Keep a special character skill list. Know which party members can open doors, start fires, operate equipment, see in the dark -- whatever might be useful. It helps when planning to know your resources.

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Use a Portable File For Organization

A portable file is ideal for creating referee papers, maps, descriptions, character info, each in its own section.

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Spell Names Backwards For NPC Names

Stuck for a name? Try spelling something backwards. Anutrof (Fortuna), Cire (Eric), and Lucard (Dracula) came from reversed names, and Remmils (Slimmer) came from a word.

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Use Insignificant Details To Mislead PCs & Spark Ideas

Create and describe insignificant details. Players will attach undue importance to some of them, and may even give you a starting point for a new idea.

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Use Specific Times & Distances Wisely

Worry about times and distances only when they matter. A rough idea of how far or how long is probably sufficient for most purposes, especially if the characters have no way to measure.

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Keep "Stalling" Encounters Handy To Buy Yourself Time

Stall scenarios are useful--keep something around which will occupy the players for an hour or so while you think of what you can do next. Minor combat encounters are good for this, but there are other possibilities.

Have more fun at every game!

Johnn Four