Becoming a GM Today. Part 3: The Toolbox
Maybe I am a bit old school, but I love physical books. I know that you can carry every book on a given subject in an e-reader, but I still love the feel of a book in hand. There is something arcane and mystical about prepping for your next session surrounded by tomes---like a wizard in some forgotten library. I like how a book feels in my hand. I love the smell of a new book, and I love having a bookshelf full of roleplaying books. For me, this often means purchasing books twice to have both a physical and a digital copy. I even keep a stack of roleplaying books on my nightstand that I read before I go to bed.
Today we’re going to talk about some of the physical resources that I have used as a new Game Master to hone my skills, develop new skills, improve my proficiency, and get a fresh perspective. In the spirt of full disclosure, I should note that many of these authors have different perspectives on Game Mastering. This is, in my opinion, the best way to learn. When learning a new skill, my approach to mastery is to consume as much material as I can on the subject to increase my knowledge and proficiency. In this post, I have put together a suggested reading list of books I currently have in my library, along with my thoughts on each.
To get a good understanding of the role of the Game Master, how to handle conflict, how to prep for a session, and how to manage a campaign, I would first recommend reading these three books I will highlight here.
Let’s start off with a fairly recent release from Monte Cook Games. Released in 2019, Your Best Game Ever makes a great coffee table book and is filled with beautiful artwork from a variety of Monte Cook’s Roleplaying systems. It is an easy read and is a great starting place for a new Game Master or a Game Master looking to hone their skills. The book features contributions from all sorts of veteran Game Masters including Matt Colville, Matt Mercer, Sean K. Reynolds, and many more! It even includes a few recipes you can use to spice up your game night which is neat. If you are looking for a broad-strokes book with stunning full-color artwork, I suggest you pick up this book. With the help of the Legendary Monte Cook & Company, you can lay the groundwork for your best game ever!
Never Unprepared: The Complete Game Master's Guide to Session Prep
Never Unprepared is a book published from the creative minds at Gnome Stew and the underlying principle is simple: how can we prep better? For most Game Masters, prep is a four letter word that makes even veteran Game Masters shudder. If you want a deep-dive into session prep, written by a master, I highly recommend Never Unprepared: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Session Prep. Phil Vecchione is a master at prep and thus quite literally wrote the book on Game Master Session prep. The book will teach you how to get the most out of mastering session prep, even down to when to prep for your session so that you can make the most of your creative cycle. If you can master session prep, you will find Game Mastering comes much easier and you will find yourself, Never Unprepared!
Odyssey: The Complete Game Master's Guide to Campaign Management
In the same vein as Never Unprepared we have Odyssey: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Campaign Management. If you want a deep dive on Campaign Management, look no further than Odyssey. Once again, this book features veteran Game Masters Phil Vecchione & Walt Ciechanowski. But this time they embark on the journey of teaching Game Masters the art of managing campaigns from start to finish and what to expect along the way. I highly recommend picking this book up before embarking on an odyssey of your own!
After you have unpacked the lessons from the above books and have several sessions or even a campaign or two under your belt, I would suggest moving on to the following resources.
Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
The Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master is a recent addition to my library and I have really enjoyed it. Veteran Game Master Michael E. Shea of SlyFourish.com proposes a rather unique approach to session prep. Get more out of your sessions by prepping less. Now on the surface this may seem rather contrary to running a great game. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Michael E. Shea’s approach boils session prep down to 8 essential steps to streamline the process and help you prep what matters in your campaign. Now I would not recommend a new Game Master start with this book as it is intended for intermediary and advanced Game Masters looking to make maximum use of their prep time. I have gotten a lot out of this book and have shaved down my prep time significantly. When you are ready for it, this book is a must for your GM toolbox.
Up next we have The Lazy DM’s Workbook. This book is designed for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Dungeon Masters and contains a bunch of quick references, tables, and more to assist you in running your game. I have found this invaluable when building encounters, referencing conditions, reviewing combat rulings, and so much more. If you are looking for a very well put together cheat sheet for D&D 5e, this is worth picking up.
The Monsters Know What They're Doing: Combat Tactics for Dungeon Masters
At first glance, The Monsters Know What They’re Doing: Combat Tactics for Dungeon Masters feels intimidating. As well it should, weighing in at a hefty 543 pages. This is another recent addition to my GM toolbox. Author Keith Ammann created this book based on his popular blog by the same name. Contained within this book are recommendations for how to run monsters at maximum efficiency, while still remaining true to their motivations. I should mention that this book is once again for Dungeon Masters who are running D&D 5e. The great thing about this book is that its table of contents and index are great for finding and referencing the tactics that you will need to run your monsters at peak efficiency. A new Game Master doesn’t really need this resource; however, if you find your players are beating up on your poor monsters, this book will be a great resource.
Eureka: 501 Adventure Plots to Inspire Game Masters
I love Eureka: 501 Adventure Plots to Inspire Game Masters as a resource as it is a great inspiration for Game Masters. I have personally run some of these scenarios (with my own personal twists and tweaks). The book covers three genres of roleplaying including Fantasy, Sci-fi, and Horror. The book also includes what the adventure plot might be easily adapted to. For example, something in horror might easily be adapted to fantasy and so on. The book also includes an extensive index that will help you find just the adventure idea that you need to run a session or even an extended story arc. The stories are left purposefully vague so you can personalize them for your campaign. If you are homebrewing, I highly suggest this book as it will provide you with the bones of a great plot if campaign writer’s block ever strikes.
Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game
Much like Eureka, Masks: 1000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game is a great resource for flushing out your campaign with unique and memorable characters for your players to interact with. The book is broken up into 3 sections: Modern, Sci-fi, and Fantasy. Each section is divided into three sub-sections: Villains, Neutrals, and Allies. Each of these NPCs have been flushed out and include their name, a quote, their appearance, roleplaying suggestions, their personality, motivation, and background. Much like with Eureka, there is an extensive index to help you find just the right NPC that you are looking for.
Focal Point: The Complete Game Master's Guide to Running Extraordinary Sessions
Focal Point: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Running Extraordinary Sessions focuses on the vehicle by which we run roleplaying games and deliver campaigns: the sessions themselves. This book covers how to create incredible sessions. Much like Odyssey, which focuses on managing the campaign, Focal Point places the focus on how to run individual sessions. This book is jam-packed with ideas about how to make each session memorable and fun for you and your players. Make the most out of your sessions with Focal Point!
Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters
Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters is a great resource for intermediate Game Masters looking to take the next steps in their Game Master Journey. This book contains 23 essays from a variety of authors all about how to step up your improv game as a Game Master. One of the most important skills that you can learn as a Game Master is how to think quickly on your feet and adapt to unexpected changes that your players will throw at you. With 23 different perspectives in this book it is well worth picking up for your collection.
I hope this blog post provides Game Masters with a good reading list to develop a solid foundation and a good starting point from which they can launch memorable campaigns and hone their skills. I hope you find it helpful, informative, and inspirational. I should note that The Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master, The Lazy Dungeon Master’s Workbook, The Monsters Know What They’re Doing: Combat Tactics for Dungeon Masters, Eureka: 501 Adventure Plots to Inspire Game Masters, and Masks: 1000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game do not have to be read cover-to-cover. They can instead be used as a resource for referencing specific knowledge as needed.
Next week, I will discuss getting started in some non-D&D systems.
Until then, Take Heart!
Karington Hess
Game Master and Founder of Open Heart Games
