Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs now in softcover!

The Stew's newest book, Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game, is now available in print and PDF.

You can buy it from Engine Publishing in print and PDF, and from DriveThruRPG in PDF. We also offer it in a bundle with Eureka for 20% off (print/PDF from Engine Punlishing, PDF on DTRPG).

Learning The Game

Those who know me know that I am a polysystemist; a lover of multiple game systems (turns out poly-gam(e)-ist, means something else entirely). While I can remain faithful to a game system for about 6 months to a year, all games eventually are cast to the side for the “next game”. Those same friends also know that when it comes to game mechanics I am kind of lazy ...

The Wait Is Over: Masks Is Now in Stock in Softcover!

If you've been waiting for Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game -- Gnome Stew's second book -- to come back into stock, your wait has ended! You can now order Masks in print (with a free PDF copy) from the Engine Publishing online store. It's also available as a standalone PDF, as well as in a package deal with our first book, Eureka: 501 Adventure Plots to Inspire ...

Do Not Argue to Prove that You are Right, Argue to Convince Others to Follow You

This is a lesson that applies to your game table and to life in general. I recently watched the documentary Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus. The filmmaker is an evolutionary biologist who takes a hard look at the debate behind teaching evolution versus intelligent design, but who also looks at the approach that proponents of both methods use in making their arguments. In one ...

Quick and Dirty Location Template

GMs must populate their settings with plenty of fun and interesting locations and after a while it can be tough to create new and fresh locations and to keep similar locations distinct from one another in your head. Over time every creepy forest tends to blur together and you don’t remember the difference between Fenwood and Bramblescar. Locations also have the capacity to be a major prep time-sink. Good ...

What I Did On My Summer Vacation 2011

I am likely the last blogger on the Internet to get their Gen Con recap posted, but a combination of work deadlines, Con Crud, generating some spousal karma, and my regularly scheduled game conspired against me. Overall it was a very good Gen Con, and I had a great time seeing old friends, meeting new friends, and doing some needed shopping. So here is my 2011 Gen Con ...

Connect the dots and get to work!

Pixedragon asked about several things that often tangle together into a big knot: mysteries, clues, and the GM's spotlight versus the player's flashlights. It also ties into the thrashing that often develops in a Sandbox setting. Here's what was asked: Hiya, I have a question concerning GMing, and it’s something I’ve noticed with other GM’s and in my own game. We tend to play rather RP-heavy games so it’s ...

D&D Burgoo: GM on tactical override

Who said “Damn the torpedoes. ... Full speed ahead”?” Well, Navy tradition points to Rear Adm. David Farragut issuing the order Aug. 5, 1864, during the Battle of Mobile Bay. Sometimes as a GM, especially in a game as devoted to tactics as D&D, I feel like issuing that order.   [caption id="attachment_10221" align="alignleft" caption="Adm. Farragut"][/caption]   That’s especially true during those interminable moments when the game stops to consult a rulebook ...

Review and Video Interview – The One Ring: Adventures over the Edge of the Wild

Just before Gencon, Charles Ryan of Cubicle 7 shot an invite to the Gnomes to come by the booth and talk with the designers of The One Ring. We shot a couple of potential questions back and forth and I decided to haul along my video equipment to see if we could get the interview on tape. More than just get an interview though, Charles comped me a ...

Hot Button: Who’s Down with OPC?

I've seen it a thousand times. Two PCs are facing a problem and some variation of the following exchange occurs: GM (looking at Player 1): What do you do? Player 1: I'm going to do X. Player 2 (glancing at Player 1's character sheet): X? Are you kidding. You have Y, why wouldn't you use that? Player 1: Fine, I'll use Y then. This is a classic example of a player using OPC ...

Tax-Free Gaming

It’s that time of year again. When the temperatures hit the triple digits, when downtown Indianapolis gets funky, and when kids are squeezing as much fun out of the last little bits of summer before school starts. That’s right, it’s time for tax-free weekends and back to school sales. Time to pick up another year’s worth of gaming supplies. Even if your state isn’t ...

RPGGeek: The Most Useful Tool You’re Not Using

This past week, I finished entering and rating my entire RPG collection on RPGGeek, something I've been putting off for two years. I first posted about RPGG -- which is part of Geekdo, the umbrella site that also includes BoardGameGeek and VideoGameGeek -- almost exactly two years ago: Geekdo.com: Pure, Distilled Awesome. RPGG is an amazing tool, and one that many GMs -- and gamers in general -- could ...

Your Players Are Your Fans–Treat Them as Such

While at Gen Con I met and hung out with some very nice people. Not just fellow gamers, but also industry insiders (who in the end were also fellow gamers). I had a very strong impression that anyone could spend some time with their favorite game designer, artist, or author at Gen Con. No one turned me away, and every professional that I met made some time for ...

From Con to Con: 2011 Edition

2011 proved to be an interesting year for me at GenCon. Normally, I have large blocks of time to hit the dealer hall or meet people. This year, my schedule was crammed, not the least because I only chose to attend 3 days without cutting back on my usual number of events. As a Gnomie, this was a special con. We won our second silver ENnie (I have it ...

Campaign Mashups

Every year I’ve written a garage sale article for The Stew in which I toss out all the campaign ideas I’ve had during the year that I’m unlikely to get to in the near future. It seems that many of The Stew’s readers have a similar overabundance of ideas, since every year the garage sale article gets comments from readers detailing their own campaigns that aren’t likely to ...

Gnome Stew Won the Silver ENnie for Best Blog!

With many thanks to our loyal readers and fans, to our family, friends, and coworkers, and to everyone who voted for us, Gnome Stew just won the silver ENnie for Best Blog in the 2011 GenCon EN World RPG Awards! Thank you! That makes two years in a row for the Stew, and we couldn't ask for better fans. You rock! Image by the Stew's own John Arcadian, taken on what ...

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