So, this started with a notification I got on Kickstarter about The Secret Art of Gamemastery . Is this worth picking up? Do you have any better suggestions for DMing advice?
“Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master” is by far the best guide I’m aware of.
Mike literally changed how I prep my games and I’m so better for it.
Mike is the main reason I’m even considering running a game at all.
He’s turned my whole perspective around.
I thought I had to be some sort of omniscient writer/entertainer, whereas I can probably get away with it by just making shit up as we go, rather than trying to herd cats into a book I shouldn’t be writing.
100%
Also, just read Mike’s website: https://slyflourish.com/
Yep, there’s so much stuff there. Tons of articles and tools, lots of good advice
He also has some handy videos, check his playlists …
Absolutely. His podcast, Lazy RPG Podcast, is great. Every other episode is his prepping for an upcoming session, going through the steps of the Lazy DM.
The Alexandrian has a ton of Gamemastery 101 articles and videos, and he’s got a book coming out soon. It’s pretty good stuff. If you’ve ever heard of the three clues rule, that was him, and he goes into a lot more depth with how to use it.
It looks incredibly basic and difficult to incorporate into prep or play. It seems to be for people without experience.
Berin Kinsman has a nice set of books on gamemastering. He does have a bit of a minimalist writing style. The books have some good advice that isn’t commonly discussed.
Robin Law’s gamemastering book is a pretty good starting point.
The Alexandian is also good, but I have some style disagreements with him.
The old WEG starwars guide is very good for the basics.
Cthulhu d20 has a pretty good section on presenting a more thrilling game and horror.
Overall there is not a whole lot of great advice in the hobby. Most of it is the same bland or unactionable advice.
The best sources of GM advice that I’ve used:
- Matt Colville’s “Running The Game” series on YouTube (free)
- Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master by Sly Flourish ($8 pdf)
- WebDM on YouTube (free, but time consuming to get through, plus they have a podcast if you throw them a couple bucks on Patreon)
Edit: also, watch (non-critrole) actual play content and pay attention to what the GM does well, what they do differently, etc.
