'plot' is not another way to pronounce 'railroad' dammit! I will die on these tracks.. er.. hill.

(Also #disabled speech slurring a little; subs are clear and accurate if needed!)

#ttrpg #gmtip #dungeonsAndDragons

https://youtu.be/pfqq3RDbw20

Respect the game. For some of your players this is the best part of their week. Make it special. #GMTip #DMTip

Very importantly, my #MobileGMKit has water, soda, and snacks. You never know what will be available on the go. Keep hydrated and powered up so you can focus on the game. #GMTip #DMTip

I keep a magnetic initiative tracker in my #MobikeDMKit to allow a player to track initiative for everyone to see. It makes my job easier and makes it easier for players to be ready to act on their turn. #GMTip #DMTip

I keep a cheap Harbor Freight compartmented hardware box for minis in my #MobileGMToolkit. They are cheap, durable, and I can easily swap in the minus I think I'll need. #GMTip #DMTip

I keep 3 sets of 35mm dice in my #MobileDMToolkit because the larger fdice are easier to see and harder to lose. I keep a few miscellaneous d20s and d10s to use for hp counters. #DMTip #GMTip

My #MobileGMKit also has a set of wet erase markers, a roll up battle map, and a ziplock bag with wet paper towels. I can make any map I need in real time and don't need to worry about smudges. #GMTip #DMTip

The most important item in my #MobileGMKit is my laptop. I carry an extension powerstrip, cordless mouse, and cell charger too, in case I need to use my phone for a hot spot. Under the hood I have a dropbox with an extensive collection of RPG resources and a folder full of virtual DM Screen links. #GMTip #DMTip

There is a lot to be said for having a mobile GM kit that you can carry all by yourself in one trip. You never know when you'll get to DM in a new location. #GMTip #DMTip What's in your mobile DM kit? #MobileGMKit #MobileDMKit

After a battle, as the party starts to walk back towards town, give a description of the battle's effects. Blood sprayed shields and armor, bruised limbs and faces, gashes and punctures, dented metal, stuffed bags of treasure, dripping trophies taken from monsters. It sets the scene for interactions with wary, excited, or terrified NPCs that encounter them. #GMTip #DMTip

Experiment. Push your limits. Find cool new ideas for your games. #GMTip #DMTip

Learn what things you use as patterns. Often the players will point them out. Keep following those patterns until you need a twist and then break them. #GMTip #DMTip
Player: Oh, great - another magistrate that needs our help with monsters
Magustrate: It is fortuitous you adventures passed this way.
Player: What kind of trouble and how much does it pay?
Magistrate: *casts* There, that should hold you. Guards! Lock them in chains. There is a nice reward from the BBEG.

The adventure you run is the story of the heroes in the party. Give them opportunities for character growth. #DMTip #GMTip

Break the stereotypes with NPCs. It's a good way to encourage your players to do the same. Try a strong Dwarven wizards who wears sleeveless robes to "show off the guns". Try a war cleric that doesn't believe in healing: "Yeah, I'm not that kind of cleric." How about a orc bard with a war drum? #GMTip #DMTip

I'd imagine that commoners with no knowledge of the world probably call most monsters by the same name:
Farmer: Did you catch that orc yet?
PC: You mean the Ettin? It had two heads!
Farmer: Yeah, one of those two-headed orcs!
PC: *sigh*
#GMTip #DMTip

Fighting monsters can be a puzzle. Can the party assemble the evidence of clues and eyewitness accounts to figure out what they are going to fight? Do they learn how to fight the creature before they encounter it? #GMTip #DMTip

I like to think of bestiaries and monster manuals as field notes from researchers. Sure, that is what they thought about the creatures they encountered, but that doesn't mean there aren't local variants of the creatures that are radically different. #DMTip #GMTip #UnreliableAuthor

The quickest way to avoid metagaming is to alter stat blocks. Sure, your players might be familiar with the typical Gelatinous Cubes in the rest of the world, but these empowered Gelatinous Cubes draw power from the surrounding rock to increase their speed and reach. #GMTip #DMTip

Strive ever for simple mechanics. It is the reason THAC0 was replaced and why the advantage mechanic works so well. #GMTip #DMTip

Necessity is the mother of invention. Lots of great game design comes from a problem in game being addressed creatively by the GM and players. Create what you need to make the game yours. #GMTip #DMTip