Justin Alexander, author of So You Want to be a Game Master, shares practical advice on game mastering. The book provides concrete steps to improve game design, running dungeons, generating clues, and creating interesting NPCs. It also offers guidance on running social events, designing cities, and exploring hex crawls and point crawls. The hosts appreciate the practicality of the book but note its heavy focus on D&D and campaign organization.

Matt and Rob reflect on the events of the year, go over the many (12!) systems they've reviewed, and talk about what they're looking forward to in 2024. Listen to the rest of the episode (and an entire day's worth of premium episodes) on the DMofNone Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone  Join us on Discord! Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Lorne Balfe - Juice of the Vine.

DMs Rob and Matt are back to answer your questions about Game Mastering! Plus, the triumphant return of Unwanted Advice!  Check out the DMofNone Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone  Join us on Discord! Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Du gamla, du fria - Sabaton; Young Folks - Peter Bjorn and John.

Matt and Rob review some more Pathfinder adventure paths, focusing on Serpent's Skull and Carrion Crown! One of these is good! One of them is not! Listen to find out which. Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Crab Rave! Earth Wind and Fire - Serpentine Fire Monster Squad Theme Song - Rock Until You Drop

"Temba, his arms wide!" DMs Rob and Matt give the gift of a Trekkie TTRPG to you this holiday season. Learn about why playing a Starfleet crew is so much fun and how to use Mophidius's 2d20 system with its momentum and threat pools to create rewarding play at the table. Don your redshirt and get ready for a simulation that you can't win...no, not the Kobayashi Maru...but Star Trek Adventures: The Roleplaying Game!  Links: Continuing Mission: A Fan Site for Star Trek RPGs https://continuingmissionsta.com/  Star Trek Character, Ship, and Token Creator https://sta.bcholmes.org/  The Shield of Tomorrow Actual Play https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7atuZxmT955aQO-G-3LR6kgX4EU2qrHg  Star Trek RPG Core Rulebook https://www.modiphius.net/en-us/products/star-trek-adventures-core-rulebook  Captain's Log: Solo Roleplaying Game https://www.modiphius.net/en-us/products/sta-captains-log-solo-roleplaying-game  Star Trek RPG Free Quickstart https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/222948/Star-Trek-Adventures-Quickstart  Star Trek RPG Starter Set https://www.modiphius.net/en-us/products/star-trek-adventures-starter-set-pdf  Check out the DMofNone Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone  Join us on Discord! Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Faith of the Heart - Russell Watson.

DM Matt shares with DM Rob advice from his many years in the classroom that you can bring to your RPG table. Learn to game master like a teacher with these pedagogy tips!  Session Plan Template on Patreon  Check out the DMofNone Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone  Join us on Discord! Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; The Who - Substitute; Win Ben Stein's Money Intro (Beethoven - Ode to Joy). 

Matt and Rob discuss the brand new mystery horror TTRPG from Darrington Press, Candela Obscura! This highly-anticipated freshman offering from Critical Role's in-house press has, to say the least, a lot going on! Delve into a world of spooky mystery, vaguely fin-de-siècle aesthetics, and questionable architectural choices. Check out the DMofNone Patreon! Join us on Discord!

On the Patreon, Matt and Rob revisit a controversial book from the late-stage D&D 3.5e era -- The Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords! This is a messy, bloated, confusing book, but there are a few gems buried there, and moments of real potential, especially if you like cool martial abilities, fantastic combat, and tactical gameplay.

Matt and Rob are joined by veteran board game and RPG designers, Elizabeth Hargrave and Sen-Foong Lim, to discuss the Tabletop Game Designers Association, a new trade organization for tabletop creatives of all types. The TTGDA will advocate, educate, and fight for living wages in our community and will need your solidarity! Learn more and sign-up for updates on the TTGDA here at ttgda.org Guests: Elizabeth Hargrave is the Kennerspiel des Jahres award-winning designer of numerous games including Wingspan, The Fox Experiment, and Mariposas. Her kickstarter for Undergrove, a game about how mushrooms and trees are friends, is live right now! Sen-Foong Lim is Gold ENnie award-winning designer whose credits include Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall, the Revenant Society, Avatar: Legends, Mind MGMT, Dungeons & Dragons: Rock Paper Wizard, and Junk Art.  Fundraisers: Meguey Bakerhttps://www.mealtrain.com/trains/lk908w?rf=1 Jennell Jayquays https://www.gofundme.com/f/jennell-jaquays-has-a-long-road-back Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Hazel Dickens - They'll Never Keep Us Down Check out the DMofNone Patreon! Join us on Discord!

Tarot expert Nat joins Matt and Rob to discuss the basics of tarot, its history and use in D&D, using tarot cards for inspiration in RPGs, the problematic nature of Curse of Strahd and the tarot deck, incorporating tarot into D&D, tips for using tarot cards in a game, crafting the game based on readings, and using tarot cards in adventure writing and planning.