S.O.M.O. (so•mo) | noun: Scared of Missing Out. A version of Fear of Missing Out that replaces the first word for a synonym so that the author of the blog article can maintain his alliterative title. I have a problem with my campaign prep, but if you have the same problem, there might be hope for...
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http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GC_165_SchedulingDifficulties_Final.mp3 On today’s Gnomecast we talk problems with scheduling. To cover that we have Ang, along with Tomas and Phil to talk about the true BBEG of ttrpgs. Time to break out the +4...
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In the days of yore (e.g.: prior to my introduction to the Internet in 1994), I’d spend countless hours at the library doing world research for RPGs and game design and generally educating myself. Sure, there were some “crossover years” where I tried to do research on the...
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Matt shows some examples of how ChatGPT can be used as prep tools for your game.
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http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GC_157_Splitting_the_Party-_Final.mp3 You go down that hallway and I’ll go down this one. You want to split the party? Is that a good idea? Well, Ang, Thomas, and Chris are here to tell you why it is, some tips for how to do it well, and...
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Evil Organizations are a staple of action adventure stories. They’re expansive, multi-headed groups that heroes fight against again and again. The villains are many, the schemes are devious, their reach is far reaching. I know. I know. It’s bad but true. And the other truth is their goal is...
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There are times in your games in which you want tension to increase rapidly. Maybe there’s some sort of time limit to deactivate a bomb, or you are sneaking through a gala full of guards trying not to be seen, but the longer you stay the higher the chance of getting caught. There’s a...
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Happy Valentine’s Day! On this day, the internet (and the world) are an explosion of pink, red, and hearts, and you might be expecting another article either about romance in your games or specifically not romance in games; about celebrating with friends or gals or having some steamy time with...
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Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) games have changed the landscape in a lot of very positive ways, but the one that has resonated most at my table – even feeding into other games – is the idea of “failing forward.” That is, creating a partial failure that moves the plot, or at minimum...
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Your recurring villain appeared right on schedule, but through a string of lucky crits, they’re now on the ground bleeding out. The players completed the dungeon, but in the process destroyed the McGuffin that you had planned to have aid them on their quest. In their defense, they thought it was...
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Written by a team of veteran Gamers and Gamemasters, Gnome Stew is a widely read gaming blog with multiple awards, ennies, and thousands of articles. We’re dedicated to helping gamers have more fun at the gaming table.
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