My Storytelling Guides Series

I've been role-playing all my life and I've run a lot of well-received campaigns. My players asked me what made my games work and this book is the result. This isn't a rulebook for any gaming system, but it's a how-to for my style of creating memorable NPCs, planning games, and engaging with your players. - Foreword, by Erica Lindquist - On Storytelling - Before the Game - Building Your Story - Running Your Game - Players & Player Characters - Problems - Rules & Mechanics - Setting & NPCs

I've written two other books (so far) on my tricks and tools for running table-top role-playing games. But now it's time to put those tools to the test – making an actual RPG campaign. Right here, right now, on the page. So let's do this! I'll start with the seed of a story idea, go through world-building and character creation, then expanding that basic plot out into scenes, combats and crises. This is an up-close, behind the scenes look at how I make a game. Then I'll run the campaign for my group. The second half of this book details what went right, what went wrong, how I kept the game moving and my friends entertained. From the dream that inspired me to the dice hitting the table, this is how I run an RPG.

My players asked me how I ran my games and what made them work, so I wrote a book. Then they asked for specific examples and ideas, so I wrote another one. This companion to My Guide to RPG Storytelling goes deeper into creating in-game crises, with lists of example scenarios and twists. The second half covers using voices, mannerisms, and archetypes to create NPCs, including some of the most memorable NPCs from my own games and what made them work.

I've been running role-playing games for thirty years, but am relatively new to playing them. Erica's rolled up dozens of characters, but has only a few Storytelling experiences under her belt. Together, we've written a blog about what we learned, the challenges we have to overcome, and all the solutions we've come up with to keep an RPG campaign going – The RPGuide.   This is a collection of our best and favorite articles from the first year and a half of RPGuide posts. We've got advice for handling players, building NPCs, and we debate rules and play styles. If you're an old hand at role-playing, maybe you'll find a new trick to put up your sleeve, or a fresh way of looking at gaming. And if you're new to RPGs, then you're welcome to learn from our mistakes and take advantage of our experience.   You've probably read My Guide to RPG Story­telling, the Companion, or maybe From Dream to Dice, and that's what brought you around to this little collection. But if this is your first RPGuidebook, welcome! Don't worry, you don't need to read any of the others first – Loaded Dice can be used on its own. We'll even begin with a "What the heck is a table-top role-playing game?" chapter. So let's play!

After two years of writing for The RPGuide, we've written a lot about running and playing role-playing games. So this is a collection of our best and favorite articles on from the second year of RPGuide posts. This volume of Loaded Dice has sections on Storytelling, plotting and pacing your game – including romantic arcs – more about non-player characters (NPCs), juggling game rules and mechanics, and advice for players to create characters and then play them in a team sport like RPGs.   Whether you're new to role-playing games or have been gaming for years, come learn from our mistakes and take advantage of our experience. We recommend reading at least the first Loaded Dice, but also consider My Guide to RPG Story­telling, My Storytelling Guide Companion, or From Dream to Dice.

After four years of writing for The RPGuide, we've talked a lot about running and playing role-playing games. Thank you for listening for all these years!   This is a collection of our best and favorite articles from the fourth year of RPGuide posts. It includes sections on Storytelling, plotting and pacing your game, non-player characters (NPCs), game rules and mechanics, and advice for players to create characters and then play them in a team sport like RPGs.   Whether you're new to role-playing games or have been gaming for years, come learn from our mistakes and take advantage of our experience. We recommend reading at least the first Loaded Dice, but also consider My Guide to RPG Storytelling, My Storytelling Guide Companion, or From Dream to Dice. You don't need to read them, but it might help.

After three years of writing for The RPGuide, we've talked a lot about running and playing role-playing games. Thank you for listening for all these years!   This is a collection of our best and favorite articles from the third year of RPGuide posts. It includes sections on Storytelling, plotting and pacing your game, non-player characters (NPCs), game rules and mechanics, and advice for players to create characters and then play them in a team sport like RPGs.   Whether you're new to role-playing games or have been gaming for years, come learn from our mistakes and take advantage of our experience. We recommend reading at least the first Loaded Dice, but also consider My Guide to RPG Storytelling, My Storytelling Guide Companion, or From Dream to Dice. You don't need to read them, but it might help.

After three years of writing for The RPGuide, we've talked a lot about running and playing role-playing games. Thank you for listening for all these years!   This is a collection of our best and favorite articles from all three years of RPGuide posts. It includes three volumes of Loaded Dice, each one covering a year of our ramblings. There are sections on Storytelling, plotting and pacing your game, non-player characters (NPCs), game rules and mechanics, and advice for players to create characters and then play them in a team sport like RPGs.   Whether you're new to role-playing games or have been gaming for years, come learn from our mistakes and take advantage of our experience. Most of the posts included in this boxed set build on the ideas that we set out in our first guidebooks: My Guide to RPG Storytelling, My Storytelling Guide Companion, and From Dream to Dice. You don't need to read them, but it might help.

Hello and welcome back to our fifth volume of Loaded Dice! How did we get to five of these things? Thank you to everyone who reads our blog and these collections of our favorite articles.   By now, you know the deal. Loaded Dice 5 has the all usual sections on Storytelling, plotting and pacing your RPG, non-player characters (NPCs), juggling game rules and mechanics, and advice for players about creating characters and then playing them in a team sport like role-playing games. So let's play!

After six years of writing for The RPGuide, we've talked a lot about running and playing role-playing games. Thank you for reading all this time!   This is a collection of our best and favorite articles from year six of RPGuide posts. It includes sections on Storytelling, plotting and pacing your RPG, non-player characters (NPCs), game rules and mechanics, and advice for players to create characters and then play them in a team sport like RPGs.   Whether you're new to role-playing games or have been gaming for years, come learn from our mistakes and take advantage of our experience.

- My Guide to RPG Storytelling - I've been role-playing all my life and I've run a lot of well-received campaigns. My players asked me what made my games work and this book is the result. This isn't a rulebook for any gaming system, but it's a how-to for my style of creating memorable NPCs, planning games, and engaging with your players. - Foreword, by Erica Lindquist - On Storytelling - Before the Game - Building Your Story - Running Your Game - Players & Player Characters - Problems - Rules & Mechanics - Setting & NPCs - My Storytelling Guide Companion - My players asked me how I ran my games and what made them work, so I wrote a book. Then they asked for specific examples and ideas, so I wrote another one. This companion to My Guide to RPG Storytelling goes deeper into creating in-game crises, with lists of example scenarios and twists. The second half covers using voices, mannerisms, and archetypes to create NPCs, including some of the most memorable NPCs from my own games and what made them work. - From Dream to Dice - I've written two other books (so far) on my tricks and tools for running table-top role-playing games. But now it's time to put those tools to the test – making an actual RPG campaign. Right here, right now, on the page. So let's do this! I'll start with the seed of a story idea, go through world-building and character creation, then expanding that basic plot out into scenes, combats and crises. This is an up-close, behind the scenes look at how I make a game. Then I'll run the campaign for my group. The second half of this book details what went right, what went wrong, how I kept the game moving and my friends entertained. From the dream that inspired me to the dice hitting the table, this is how I run an RPG.

After six years of writing for The RPGuide, we've talked a lot about running and playing role-playing games. Thank you for reading all this time!   This is a collection of our best and favorite articles from years 4 - 6 of RPGuide posts. It includes sections on Storytelling, plotting and pacing your RPG, non-player characters (NPCs), game rules and mechanics, and advice for players to create characters and then play them in a team sport like RPGs.   Whether you're new to role-playing games or have been gaming for years, come learn from our mistakes and take advantage of our experience.