RPG Resources: Tell Your Story Free Course

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

#Lifestyle #Games and Gambling #Dwight and Jacob Scull #Jacob Scull #Game Master #Dungeons and Dragons #Dungeon Master #RPG #TTRPG #Gm Tips #Dm Tips

19:09

This episode is brought to you by Landrum Talent Solutions, a national recruiting firm specializing in marketing and HR positions. Our guest today has been keeping us up to date with the current state of hiring for marketers on a quarterly basis, which has taken us on quite a roller coaster ride. Today we’re going to look at how marketing and communication execs are responding to the latest developments in the world while still needing to get their work done. To take a look at the latest here, I’d like to welcome back to the show Sue Keith, Corporate Vice President at Landrum Talent Solutions. About Sue Keith Sue Keith is Corporate Vice President at Landrum Talent Solutions. With deep expertise in navigating complex labor markets, Sue has a front-row seat to the evolving dynamics of marketing roles, hiring trends, and the broader implications of AI and economic uncertainty. RESOURCES Landrum Talent Solutions: https://www.landrumtalentsolutions.com Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brands Online Scrum Master Summit is happening June 17-19. This 3-day virtual event is open for registration. Visit www.osms25.com and get a 25% discount off Premium All-Access Passes with the code osms25agilebrand Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.show Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com…

5 years ago 6:07

MP3•Episode home

Hey Storytellers,
Today we cover our free online course called Tell Your Story - it helps you think of your RPG campaign like it is a play. It was eye-opening to me once I realized this it changed my entire way of planning my RPG campaigns.
Give us a listen to learn more and then click on the link below to get it for free.
Check out our resources page for the link (and others): https://skullrpg.com/resources - check out the GM Tools section.
Check out our courses for Game Masters: https://skullrpgbooks.vipmembervault.com/
Check out our new book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K

163 episodes

RPG Resources: Tell Your Story Free Course

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

12 subscribers

published 5 years ago

MP3•Episode home

163 episodes

#Lifestyle #Games and Gambling #Dwight and Jacob Scull #Jacob Scull #Game Master #Dungeons and Dragons #Dungeon Master #RPG #TTRPG #Gm Tips #Dm Tips

All episodes

1
FInal Episode - Follow us on YouTube 2:01

4 years ago2:01

2:01

Hey Storytellers, We started this channel in Sept 2020 and since then we have received 3000 downloads. That is really good for not advertising this channel and just getting organic reach. Because we do pay a premium for podcast hosting, publishing to numerous channels and helping iTunes audio quality we are switching over to just YouTube because of the costs. We noticed that as of 3/22/21 we have about 11 - 14 people that regularly download our material. For those of you that do this - we thank you. We would love for everyone to switch over to follow us on YouTube. SkullRPG.com/YouTube will get you there. We have tripled our subscribers in the last month and have good engagement in our comments. We would love to see you over there as well, liking, commenting, giving video suggestions, etc. Thanks, Dwight and Jacob Scull…

1
How to Take an Idea and Make it a Campaign 7:04

4 years ago7:04

7:04

Hey Storytellers, Sometimes you have a great idea but it isn't connected to anything at all, nor do you always know how to scale it up to use in a larger context. Visit https://www.Skullrpg.com to see what books, free courses, and other resources are available for you and your gaming needs. In today's episode, we cover how Olson Scott Card did this for Ender's Game and how you can do it as well in your tabletop RPG game.…

1
Why Most of Our D&D Adventures Are in a Dungeon or Town 7:25

4 years ago7:25

7:25

Hey Storytellers, Have you ever noticed why most D&D / Pathfinder games occur in a place with definite boundaries? Visit Skullrpg.com to see what books, free courses, and other resources are available for you and your gaming needs. In this episode, we talk about ways to get out of places with definite boundaries and how the gaming mat has limited D&D to 2d combat that requires walls to work really well.…

1
GM 101 - World Creation - Creating Realistic Fantasy Races 8:28

4 years ago8:28

8:28

Hey Storyteller, Creating a fantasy race can be daunting. Are my players going to be in this race? Are they trying to save this race? How does this race fit into the larger campaign? Do they worship different gods? Who are their heroes, villains, economic structure, language? Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K In this episode, we boil this down to the basics and it won't take you forever to create a fantasy race that has enough information to play your campaign. Subscribe for more dungeon master tips and tricks. We post 10-minute videos 3 times a week.…

1
GM 101: World Creation - Creating a Realistic Fantasy City 12:01

4 years ago12:01

12:01

Hey Storyteller, Creating a fantasy city can be daunting. Do you need a map? How many store owners and types of stores do I need to have created? What about guilds / factions / temples? Do I need to know what the tech / magic limit is for this city? Where do I even begin? Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K In this episode, we boil this down to the basics and it won't take you forever to build out a city that has enough information to play your campaign. Subscribe for more dungeon master tips and tricks. We post 10-minute videos 3 times a week.…

1
GM 101: World Creation - Create a Fantasy Kingdom 13:39

4 years ago13:39

13:39

Hey Storyteller, Creating a fantasy kingdom can be daunting. How many people do you need to create? Do you need to flesh out one or more temple systems? What do you do about the economy or leadership or any number of things? Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K In this episode, we boil this down to the basics and it won't take you forever to build out a kingdom that has enough information to play your campaign. Subscribe for more dungeon master tips and tricks. We post 10-minute videos 3 times a week.…

1
GM 101: How Much Mythology Do You Need in Your RPG Game 10:45

4 years ago10:45

10:45

Hey Storyteller, After reading many fantasy series it feels like in order to start a campaign some people feel like they have to recreate the Silmarillion. But do you? Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K We would say only have as much mythology as you feel you need. If your players will be heavily involved in the fallout from the past myths / gods and goddesses / demi-gods / etc. Subscribe for more dungeon master tips and tricks. We post 10-minute videos 3 times a week.…

1
GM 101: World Creation - Play an RPG in the Modern Era 7:22

4 years ago7:22

7:22

Hey Storytellers, We have moved to posting every Monday/Wednesday/Friday. To finish up our how to play an RPG in ____ era. We turn to the modern era or the clay era. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K The current age of humanity is the clay era of humanity according to Greek Mythology. After the gods have destroyed humanity several times they finally landed on clay and blood (flesh and blood) because we were controllable. Playing an RPG in this era is common for any D20 Modern game, World of Darkness, even futuristic games like Shadowrun / Star Wars (which was a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, but I digress) / Cyberpunk would be considered clay era or age unless they were the pinnacle of all technology until the end of time and then that would be golden era or age. In this episode, we discuss how setting an RPG in this age differs from the last three we have covered and generally give some ideas on how to play in those worlds.…

1
GM 101: World Creation - Play Your RPG in the Silver Era 9:09

4 years ago9:09

9:09

Hey Storytellers, We have moved to posting on Monday / Wednesday / Friday. The Silver era or age can be explained this way. Atlantis (golden age) has just fallen. The survivors have landed, scattered across the world. They don't have the technology or maybe even raw goods to bring Atlantis back but compared to the primitives they are now living among they are like gods. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K So they band together and create the great civilizations Greece and Rome and conquer the world with new technology and strategies, but it is nothing like what the power of Atlantis could have done if they wanted to. But sadly, those days are gone. The old Atlantians (or those with the knowledge) are known as demi-gods throughout history and their works are told, but only from a person with no knowledge of how they were able to accomplish what they did. Disclaimer: We don't believe in Atlantis but this gives you a great idea of Gold vs Silver Eras.…

1
GM 101: World Creation - Play an RPG in the Bronze Era 7:30

4 years ago7:30

7:30

Hey Storytellers, We are moving to a Monday / Wednesday / Friday publishing schedule at this point. We hope that lets you catch up and listen to each episode as they land. In today's episode, we talk about most of the RPG's we play. This is the bronze era using a Greco-Roman Mythology understanding of humanity. Your players are exploring a world that has fallen from the Golden and Silver eras. There are wondrous items, spells, and/or technology that cannot be recreated (or at least as easily as they used to be). Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K…

1
GM 101: World Creation - How to Play a Game in the Golden Era 11:38

4 years ago11:38

11:38

Hey Storytellers, Two episodes ago we talked about the different eras of games using the Greek understanding of creation. So there were the golden, silver, bronze, and clay ages of humanity. Today we explore playing a game at the height of magic or technology that your world will ever see. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K The golden age or era is one of the hardest to play an RPG in because your characters are literally becoming the legends of old. There are no ruins of value because the stuff of value is literally being created each and every day. These are usually higher-level campaigns (or a lot more points in a GURPS system). Listen for even more tips.…

1
GM 101: World Creation - Do You Need a World Map? 11:28

4 years ago11:28

11:28

Hey Storytellers, I don't know about you but when I first tried to write my own adventures as a Dungeon Master for D&D 3.5 I thought I needed a world map. The same was true when I tried my hand at GURPS. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K But what if I told you that that may be the worst way to start a campaign? Instead, just draw what is needed. If starting at first level or low level or local adventure just start out with everything they may possibly encounter at those levels. So if you need a map it doesn't have to be more than 3 days journey in any direction and contain things like "abandoned mine" or "woods" or "larger town will name later." So don't feel like you have to design the entire world and then drill down because frankly after reading a ton of fantasy novels we feel like that is a requirement, but for gaming you can go the other way.…

1
GM 101: World Creation - Picking Your RPG Era 11:29

4 years ago11:29

11:29

Hey Storytellers, In today's episode, we cover different eras as an overview. Using the Greek understanding of Golden, Silver, Bronze and Clay age of Humanity we talk about this in RPG terms. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K What does that mean? Great question. A Golden Age adventure means that your world is at the pinnacle of magic / tech / etc. Most RPG's don't take place here. Instead, most take place during a bronze age of heroes. This allows the players to explore old castles (now turned into dungeons because of time) for ancient relics. Listen to the episode to learn more.…

1
GM 101: How to Move Forward in Time Quickly in Your RPG 7:48

4 years ago7:48

7:48

Hey Storytellers, In one of my campaigns, I wanted to tell a story about the players hunting down a particular villain. I didn't want this game to last more than about 8 months of real-time and I didn't want to spend a year of in-game time that didn't connect to the overarching storyline. So what did I do? Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K Since we were playing GURPS I gave them 30 points to spend on whatever they wanted and told them that we would be fast-forwarding the game a full year in the calendar. They had done side quests and other things in that year that didn't correspond to the story, but they would still get experience for it. I could do the same thing in a D&D or Pathfinder game by giving 2 - 3 levels and saying the same thing. Listen to the episode for even more examples of how to accomplish this.…

1
GM 101: Combat Traps 8:03

4 years ago8:03

8:03

Hey Storytellers, In our last episode, we covered if you should use traps or not. One really nasty thing to do is to incorporate them into a mini-boss encounter. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K In this episode, we talk about using things like a pit trap, poison darts, or even worse types of traps to have the enemy do battlefield control and potentially take out one of the front line melee fighters out of the fight for a while by dropping him/her down a 20-foot hole (with or without spikes).…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: Should You Use Traps in Your RPG? 8:59

4 years ago8:59

8:59

Hey Storytellers, Do you need traps in your RPG? Do you need to create a dungeon where every room somehow has a 20,000 GP trap designed to kill your players? Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K The answer to that is it is up to you. If you want to be trap heavy then tell your players they will need someone that can handle that task. If you don't have traps then you should tell your players that traps will not be that central to the game, but may come up from time to time. I.e. you don't need a character dedicated to it but some skill would be helpful.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: Scaling the Challenge Rating in the Middle of a Conflict 8:42

4 years ago8:42

8:42

Hey Storytellers, Sometimes in the middle of a conflict, you realize that your players are running through it too fast. So what do you do about that? Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K In today's episode, we cover how to scale up or down your conflict in order to make it interesting. This may mean you fudge a die roll to avoid fully killing a player, or it may mean that backup for either side comes out of an unopened door or unexplored hallway.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: Scaling the Challenge Rating for Different Player Types in Your RPG 12:00

4 years ago12:00

12:00

Hey Storytellers, In today's episode, we will cover how to scale the challenge rating of your encounters (up or down) depending on the players around your table. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K Let's face it, if you have a min/max player and they are in their element (like killing one monster) then you need to move the challenge rating of that monster up (maybe 2 or 3 levels). Or you have a player trying a new type of character and they aren't using half of their good abilities yet. Well, then you may need to move the challenge rating down for them. Sometimes, you have both of these players (and others) at your table so what do you do? Listen to find out.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: How to Transition to Custom Made RPG Adventures 10:51

4 years ago10:51

10:51

Hey Storytellers, Eventually, you may be ready to make your own custom RPG adventure and even campaign. This entire podcast is dedicated to helping you do just that and if you already make custom RPG's then our podcast is designed to give you more tools or maybe a way of using your current tools in a different way. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: Using One-Off Adventures Together to Form a Complete Story 7:26

4 years ago7:26

7:26

Hey Storytellers, The next step to running a premade is learning how to string together one-off adventures if you want to run these cheaply either from free adventures on the internet or with some patreons dedicated to these. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K Learn how to string many of these together easily in a somewhat coherent story…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: How to Start as a New Game Master 9:19

4 years ago9:19

9:19

Hey Storytellers, Today we answer the question about what is the easiest way to get into being a Game Master. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K We have found that starting off with a one-off adventure in a system you know somewhat decently well is the easiest way to start.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: How to Recover from Ruined Plot Hooks 8:18

4 years ago8:18

8:18

Hey Storytellers, In today's episode, we cover what to do if your players kill your plot hook or just decide they don't want to do the adventure and want to do something else. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K There are many ways to recover from this but if your players kill your hook because they are untrusting you can pivot the hook from being a good character to an evil one and leave the clue on their person. Or as the adventures are walking around you can bring the hook to them in a moment of action. Getting revenge is a great motivator for an adventure. Listen for more.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: How to Create a Good NPC for Your RPG 12:54

4 years ago12:54

12:54

Hey Storytellers, In today's episode, we will cover how to create a backstory for your good NPC's in your stories. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K There are no heroes without flaws. There are no rulers without secrets. There is no one in a position of power that hasn't done something they regret. Secrets may be a driving force for a good NPC. They may be trying to cover those up, or doing things to keep the secret buried. Everyone has something they are ashamed of and that is what I build into my backstory for every notable NPC that can affect the players' lives. Knowing that secret can lead to some really fun impromptu (or planned) adventures for your players.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: How to Create a Villain for Your RPG 9:46

4 years ago9:46

9:46

Hey Storytellers, In today's episode, we talk about how to create a memorable villain. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K Villains should be the hero of their own story. So Thanos from Marvel is trying to save the universe from overpopulation. We discuss how to give your villain a backstory so that they believe that their actions (no matter how evil) are justified because their end goal is just.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: How to Know if You Are Planning Enough in Your RPG 10:57

4 years ago10:57

10:57

Hey Storytellers, This isn't a plug for our course "Just Enough Planning" ( https://skullrpg.com/just-enough-planning-course/ ). Instead, we are covering how much planning you may feel comfortable with as a game master. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K In today's episode, we cover how you know if you are under planning, overplanning, and what to do about it.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: How to Get Player Buy-In for Your RPG 14:07

4 years ago14:07

14:07

Hey Storyteller, Many times you try out a storyline and one or more of your players (or worse even you as the game master) is bored with it. Instead, there is a better way and you can do it at the start. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K We have covered the lexicon game before. This should be played with your gaming group when you have a very vague concept of what you want to do. Then let the players help you refine what they want to do, see and play and also the things they don't want to see for a while. Check out the rules here: http://skullrpg.com/resources/#t-1608175211406…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: How to Handle Former Game Masters in Your RPG 6:22

4 years ago6:22

6:22

Hey Storytellers, Our group has two main game masters, as well as, others that are learning or haven't GM'd in a while. If you have a group like this you might have some issues if the old GM just hasn't gotten used to being a player yet. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: How to Handle Too Many Jokes in Your RPG 8:53

4 years ago8:53

8:53

Hey Storytellers, Many of our games start with jokes as we ease into the game. That isn't an issue, but the issue is about 30 minutes in if you have one or more players still cracking jokes in a serious game. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K There are several techniques to use to get your game back on track: 1) Ignore it a couple of times 2) Redirect the player back to the game 3) Remind them that we are doing a serious game (after the game to start with) 4) Set some ground rules to get the game back on track…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

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GM 101: How to Handle Bored Players in Your RPG 10:08

4 years ago10:08

10:08

Hey Storytellers, Sometimes your players are distracted and some distractions are totally understandable. Those aren't the ones I am talking about, but rather if they aren't engaged in your RPG what are some of the ways to help bring them back to your game. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: How to Handle a Rules Lawyer in Your RPG 8:45

4 years ago8:45

8:45

Hey Storytellers, A rules lawyer is one who will correct the game master most of the time about the specific rules (and errata buried on the internet) for the game you are playing. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K Rules lawyers can be used to help you shore up your understanding of the game. If you are unclear on how something would work, then ask the rules lawyer for their opinion of the situation. I also like to think about rules from a physics point of view (yes even in magic). So if the rule is just dumb and I have the rules lawyer trying to drive a train through the loophole. I will call it out and talk to them about that. We talk about other ways to work with the rules lawyer in this episode.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

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GM 101: When to Say "Yes" to Your Players 10:33

4 years ago10:33

10:33

Hey Storytellers, Today we talk about when you should say "Yes" to your players. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K My short rule for this is to say "Yes" unless it will break my game and even then if the idea is fun I might just say "Everything that happens after this point is now in an alternate reality" and run that game for a while. Otherwise, I look for where maybe what they were asking for happened because I didn't explain what was happening well enough. Even then I will probably just pivot my plans for what they want to do because being a game master / dungeon master is to focus less on the master part of that term and more on being a game moderator.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

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GM101: Get Better at RPG Improv with a Free Game 8:03

4 years ago8:03

8:03

Hey Storytellers, The fastest way to improve your improvisational skills is to have fun using them. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K We would recommend going to our resources page ( https://skullrpg.com/resources/#t-1608661750213 ) and scroll down a little until you find the "Everybody is John" link. Everybody is John is a free game that takes some pieces of paper, one d6, pennies (about 10 per player, or anything that can be used as counters that can be held in the palm of your hand). We recommend playing a game of this for maybe ten minutes every time you meet before starting your RPG. It will quickly get you up to speed on handling any crazy ask you will ever get because this is a game of crazy asks. Listen to the episode to learn more about Everybody is John.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

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GM 101: Using Improv in a Premade Adventure 13:08

4 years ago13:08

13:08

Hey Storytellers, In this episode, we talk about how many premade adventures can't be run strictly by the book and that you, as the game master, may need to use your mad improvisational skills (or amateur ones), to make up for the fact that your gaming group wasn't a part of their test market (assuming they even had one). Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K Fun fact: most premade adventures aren't playtested and some have been ported from system to system so much that they still bring misprints (looking at you Tomb of Horrors). So this covers how to fix some of those problems as you read through premade adventures. It will also cover how to scale up or scale down the challenge of each premade on the fly so that you can provide some sort of challenge (or not just kill everyone 10+ times - true story). Finally, we will cover what happens if the players what to do a game-breaking choice and how to say "yes, but" to that.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: Improvisational tips for GM's 7:55

4 years ago7:55

7:55

Hey Storytellers, In today's episode, we talk about how the game master can use some light improvisational skills in your game. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K This episode deals with what happens if your players decide to not take the direct path toward the area you have planned out for them to use. Well, you are the only one with the map that indicates where that castle, ruins, NPC, etc. is. So whose to say that they don't find the adventure you planned for them if they don't go the exact way you thought they should.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: How to Handle Player's Choices 12:41

4 years ago12:41

12:41

Hey Storytellers, In this episode, we will discuss ways to handle your player's bizarre choices in your RPG. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K I don't think that "No" should be the standard response for your players. Instead, I try to accommodate what I can, but sometimes the request just doesn't make any sense. We cover how to explain what is possible for a player's character or tell them the number of rolls they are asking to try to succeed on for them to succeed at the crazy number of actions in order to pull off their request. Then let the player decide if they want to take the risk to do something cool or decide to do something more practical.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: Help My Players are Ruining My Game 10:07

4 years ago10:07

10:07

Hey Storytellers, In today's episode, we cover some of the ways that game masters feel like their players are ruining their game. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K Many times players are rebelling against the game master because of things the game master is doing. If a game master is railroading the players or taking away the free choice of players then I would expect players to rebel. The other way that players may be ruining your game is because they may not be fully involved in the game for whatever reason or even have an issue with you personally. We will cover each of these issues in-depth in the coming episodes. In today's episode, we show you how to create impromptu choices for your players based on their actions.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

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RPG Rule of 3 and How it Makes Your Life Easier as a Game Master 9:12

4 years ago9:12

9:12

Hey Storytellers, The rule of three says that you can let your players level up (like in a D&D / Pathfinder) game after three game sessions. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K This allows you and the players to have a clear path forward and steady cadence to level up the characters. It also helps you have less work to do if you are trying to figure out what monsters give what experience (huge issue in D&D 3.5). If you are playing a game like GURPS or Vampire: The Masquerade we cover how to change how much experience you give out so that your players can receive some advantages faster.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

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GM 101: What are the Elements of an RPG Story Arc 11:55

4 years ago11:55

11:55

Hey Storytellers, Yesterday we created a Cyberpunk / mystery RPG campaign. One of the issues I have had was losing the thread of the story used in a campaign like 4 months into the story and my game sessions would suffer. Find out more about this with our free course: https://skullrpgbooks.vipmembervault.com/products/courses/view/1047566/?action=signup Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K We deep dive into a 3 act plan for the campaign that the players can use and influence. The act / subplot helps me have a general direction to move forward. With this sort of plan you will now be able to have a good idea of what you will need to plan from a game session 1 or 2 game sessions out. We don't recommend planning out everything at this stage as things will change because of your player's actions and interactions with the story line. Always remember that the GM and Player are telling a story together but the GM does the heavy lifting - especially in the beginning.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

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GM 101: How to Build an RPG Campaign 14:42

4 years ago14:42

14:42

Hey Storytellers, Here is where we take the elements from yesterday's RPG Campaign episode and actually start to flesh out a campaign. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K Today we create an RPG Campaign from scratch. We pick a genre, RPG system, villain, villain's motivations, as well as the conflict / mystery (main genre) for the campaign. We also begin to build out each of the three acts. Remember that these are held loosely, but give you an idea of where you are going in your story months before you get there. I have found doing this helpful (and yes it always changes) to keep me on track and not just running random encounters because I don't know what to do next.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

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GM 101: What are the elements of an RPG Campaign? 9:05

4 years ago9:05

9:05

Hey Storytellers, We have covered the elements of a good game session, but what do you need for an RPG Campaign? Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K The RPG campaign is the entirety of your story. This could be a one-off session (really easy to plan) or a story that lasts for decades. We cover the main elements of what you should plan out for each of your longer campaigns. These are things like genre, what RPG you will use, the basic story, and the main conflict. Listen to the episode for more information.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

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GM 101: What Props Should I Use? 9:29

4 years ago9:29

9:29

Hey Storytellers, This podcast talks about two different things. Some RPG's are prop heavy (looking at you Dungeons and Dragons), but then we branch out into other types of props that people use to help with immersion in the game. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: How to Play a New RPG Fast 6:46

5 years ago6:46

6:46

Hey Storytellers, You just got a new RPG and you want to play it tonight. How can you do that? Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K We cover how to do this with board games as that is a lot easier but then use those same principles for tabletop RPG's. Also the same tips here should be used if you come across a rule or question you aren't sure about. Many major RPG's (and fan favs) will have wiki's or discussion boards with the official errata for those odd scenarios. Also, a good rule is if it will break the game just say no. No matter if it is in the rules or not. You are the game or dungeon master so live up to the master part of it.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

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Our New Book: Human NPC's 84 Complete Stat Blocks for D&D 5e 6:58

5 years ago6:58

6:58

Hey Storytellers, For many tabletop RPG Dungeon Masters , one of the hardest, most time-consuming tasks is to roll up a high-level wizard for use in your game that will challenge your group. There is nothing worse than showing up woefully unprepared and having to cut your game short because your players raced to the final encounter , and you don't have the stats ready for combat. This is where Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes is useful. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K Simply choose a class. Then choose one of 7 levels between 1 - 18 to insert into your RPG immediately. Human NPC's is for any dungeon master that is playing Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition . We cover the base 12 classes from the Player's Handbook and only use spells / equipment from the D&D 5e Core Books, so if you haven't (or don't want) to pick up the newest supplement, that isn't an issue. However, there is space to add material on your own from those supplements if you want. Here is what you will discover in Human NPC's : • 12 Classes • Levels 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 • Full equipment , feats, spells , and even spellbooks (Wizard) included - you can just turn to the page you need and play the NPC • Use these for a core NPC (good or bad) in your game • Or just sprinkle in NPC 's to make your challenge rating harder in your adventure ( Premade or Custom ) • How to play guides for each class included • Detailed notes on what each class has gained from level to level in case you want to do a minute or two of research on the NPC…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

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GM 101: Matching Your RPG to Your Favorite Genre 7:29

5 years ago7:29

7:29

Hey Storytellers, In our last episode, we defined many different types of genres. In this one, we match the genre to the RPG. Check out our newest book - Human NPC's: 84 Complete NPC's for 5th edition to use in your RPG in minutes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TCKRZTM/ Check out our first book - 19 RPG Adventures for Game Masters to Run in any TTRPG: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ38H2K Do you want to play high or low fantasy? D&D / Pathfinder / GURPS What about Sci-Fi? Star Wars / GURPS Interested in Gothic Horror (Vampires, Werewolves, etc.)? White Wolf Publishing / Vampire: The Masquerade Give the episode a listen to hear more.…

Skull RPG: Game Masters Tell Your Story

1
GM 101: Different Genres 14:19

5 years ago14:19