GM Cross-training

In previous articles I’ve talked about the importance of practice as well as my favorite podcasts & blogs for GMs. But there are still countless other ways we can improve as GMs:

1. Read adventures & sourcebooks. Even if you don’t plan on running a certain adventure, there are tons of ideas you can lift from it. If you’re running a homebrew campaign, it’s particularly useful to see how experienced designers create an adventure.
2. Design homebrew. Through the process of creating homebrew materials (magic items, monsters, spells, etc.) you will better understand how those things work mechanically.
3. Watch / listen to actual plays. Each GM has their own techniques they bring to the game. Leverage their experience and ideas to make your game even better.
4. Play in games as a character. As a player, you can pick up on what makes a game fun and what might not.
5. Check out different TTRPG systems. Each system has its own way of doing things, and a lot of those cool ideas can be adapted for whatever system you’re running.
6. Consume fiction. TV shows, movies, and fantasy novels are all great sources of inspiration for plot points, cool locations, NPCs, etc. “We’re only as good as the obscurity of the references we steal from.” –Matt Colville

Let me know other ways you work to improve!

Puzzles as Extra Credit

It’s easy to present a situation where the party must solve a puzzle to advance the plot. This creates a clear issue, however: what happens if they can’t solve it?

Instead, it’s fun to use puzzles to give the party extra bonuses. For example, solving a puzzle may:

• Unlock a treasure chest
• Free an ally or activate a construct that will fight alongside the party (like in Fallout)
• Set off a trap to hurt the enemies in the next room
• Open a secret passage, allowing the characters to bypass certain dangers or escape a dungeon unharmed
• Provide some useful information about an enemy or their plans
• Reveal secret information about the world

By clearly telegraphing the reward (e.g. describing the puzzle as right on the treasure chest), the players become excited about the potential reward and can make an informed decision on how much time to spend on the puzzle. After all, a puzzle is a lot more fun when the players are choosing to engage with it rather than having it forced on them.

Let us know any other fun ways you've used puzzles!