The Angry GM teaches you how to run RPGs

universejunction:

Scott “The Angry GM” Rehm espouses wisdom weekly on how to run tabletop roleplaying games. D&D in particular, but most of his advice applies generally. I want to start running D&D games again, and I be very good at what I do. So, for my own assistance, and here for anyone else who might like it, is an index / introduction to The Angry GM’s articles, organized in a way useful to me. Maybe it’ll be useful to you too.

---

Running Games

The very basics

• Using a skill system
• Adjudicating Actions
• Narration
• Social interaction
• Improvisation
  • Improvising rules
  • Improvising story

Important skills

• Pacing
• Running your first session
• Session structure
  • Recapping
• Non-player characters
  • NPCs in the party
  • Questgivers
  • Unexpected NPCs
• Opportunity costs and trade-offs
• Dealing with death
• Your Game Mastering credo
• Different kinds of fun
  • Engagement
• Adopting a new group
• Published modules (when I won a prize for being “the least worst person ever to Ask Angry Anything!”)
• Planning and preperation
• Tone and what’s possible
• Atmosphere
• Creativity exercises

Campaigns

• Plot Arcs
• Starting a campaign

Adventures

• Exploration lessons from Metroid
• Adventure basics
• Structure
• Resolution
• Motivation
• Backstory
• Challenge and difficulty
• Three types of structures
  • Linear
  • Open
  • Branching
• More on sandbox games
• Coming up with ideas
• Mystery stories
• Making wilderness travel matter
• A fragile premise
• Rest in regard to adventuring days
• Faction powers and planning

Scenes

• Types of scenes
  • Opening scenes
  • Exposition and exploration
• Who, what, when, where, and why
• Building scenes

Encounters

• What makes an encounter
• Building encounters
• Traps
• Interaction in encounters

Combat

• Combat basics
• Enemy combatants
• Battlefields
• Building combats
• Managing combats

Building the Megadungeon

• Intro
• Adventuring days
• Awarding Experience Points
• The critical path
• Gating
• Backstory
• Plot and story beats
• The master plan – math
• The master plan – plot
• Flowchart
• Mapping encounters
• Trashing work
• A map
• Map tour part 1
• Map tour part 2
• Design philosophy
• Asset libraries
• Random encounters
• Reward and punishments
• Map rules

Other interesting thoughts

• Defining roleplaying
• The Metagame
  • It’s your fault
• When you can’t lie
• Experience points and rewards
• GMs and players are playing different games
• Passive and active skills
• Abbreviating stat blocks for D&D 5e
• Alignment
• City mapping
• How to publish D&D content
• Reflecting on D&D 4e
• Probability
• Slow decisions
• What’s a class good for? (Which might suggest you could change what classes are available for world building / tone purposes)
• Running a game for an evil party
• The non-problem of comfort zone / Too much loot
• PC conflict
  • That guy who loves to annoy the party
• Alignment again / Encounter balance in 5e
• Try to make Intelligence and Charisma not terrible
• Psionics (and tone)
• Critical hits
• Damage rolls

---

If you like this, consider supporting his Patreon (I do, but only a little). I’m not affiliated with The Angry GM, just a fan.

Scott, if you happen to read this, thanks for all you do!