Of the three books I read in this series this month, this title was probably my favorite. There is so much great information in here for Game Masters (or Dungeon Masters to use the D&D terminology). I'm not sure there's anything that was mind-blowing or entirely revelatory, but it did a great job of taking some of the most common questions about running a tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) and giving you plenty to think about as you try to incorporate things into your own campaign.

The early chapters about goals for GMs and dispelling myths about GMing were probably my least favorite (along with the chapter on "Safety and Conflict Resolution") only because these topics have been discussed ad nauseam on a ton of online forums and social media channels. I don't think there was a single "myth" or suggestion for creating an inclusive game that I hadn't read a dozen times already. The chapter about the difference in games (one shots vs. limited run vs. campaigns) was also a bit obvious, IMHO, although it might be great for a newer GM to think through.

The later chapters were where this book really shined. I loved the chapter with advice about how to make the players' choices important, and how the chapter on plot basically took elements from a literary criticism course and applied it to the communal gaming experience. Then, following that up with specific suggestions about how to improve your actual roleplaying, your interactions with players (and their characters), and creating NPCs and locations were really interesting. And the chapters on encounter design and bad guys really got my creativity flowing for my own campaign.

I think this book is a great resource for GMs both old and new... you're bound to find something new in this resource every time you read it. Even as someone who's run TTRPG games off and on for the better part of three decades, I definitely see myself keeping it handy on my game book shelf and referring back to it regularly to find inspiration and clarity when I need it.

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Created Apr 27, 2025 at 3:03pm • Submit your own review...