What do you think?
Rate this book
Gamemastering
Learn everything you need to know about Gamemastering face-to-face roleplaying games in this tome. From creating deep characters to spinning edge-of-the-seat adventures on the fly, Gamemastering has something for every Gamemaster from novice to expert. Packed with dozens of tables and reference material that make preparing for a game session a snap, techniques for acting, pacing, refereeing, and keeping players challenged, Gamemastering is a reference work no Gamemaster should be without.
330 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2009
3 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 10, 2018
This is my first book on how to run a roleplaying game as the game master. Better late than never!
This book is not specific to any RPG system, but instead offers general advice for how to structure the game sessions, how to invent characters, settings, and adventures, and how to manage the sessions for maximum fun and creativity.
This book is full of advice from down in the trenches. I can see how certain sessions I've played in could have used gentle nudges from this book. How could I subtly introduce my GMs to it? Hmmm...
Among many other resources, there are endless tables of characteristics for character creation, buildings one might find in a settlement, roles for friendly GCs (gamemaster characters, ie NPCs)...
As someone exploring whether to start a game for my family, having played and enjoyed RPGs in the past, this was an excellent book for me. If you're new to the activity, you might want to try it a few times before reading, so you can understand what the book is trying to achieve.
This book is not specific to any RPG system, but instead offers general advice for how to structure the game sessions, how to invent characters, settings, and adventures, and how to manage the sessions for maximum fun and creativity.
This book is full of advice from down in the trenches. I can see how certain sessions I've played in could have used gentle nudges from this book. How could I subtly introduce my GMs to it? Hmmm...
Among many other resources, there are endless tables of characteristics for character creation, buildings one might find in a settlement, roles for friendly GCs (gamemaster characters, ie NPCs)...
As someone exploring whether to start a game for my family, having played and enjoyed RPGs in the past, this was an excellent book for me. If you're new to the activity, you might want to try it a few times before reading, so you can understand what the book is trying to achieve.
October 3, 2018
While most books on the art of GMing are pretty light on substance or just a collection of short essays, Jamison's book has a lot of meat to it, which I liked. I don't agree with every bit of advice he provides, but as a whole the book is worthwhile.
August 10, 2020
Good book. Going to GM for fitst time after playing for years. He offers great advice. I do not think all his pointers work for my group of friends but still lots of good ideas.
August 17, 2014
A great read. Well organized, coherent, and full of content. The author well speaks his mind, telling you exactly what he thinks of certain rpg tropes. In this way he does pass judgement (sometimes harshly) on elements that are probably part if your game right now. The advantage of this is that you know exactly why the author feels the way he does, and its all in the name of elevating our rpg sessions to the next level. Plus, as we all know, the DM's decision supersedes any rule. If, at any time, you disagree with the author's point of view you are encouraged to follow your own heart instead. Duh.
This book is great because it not only gives advice but step by step instructions on game prep, mostly concerning ways to assist your players in fleshing out their character and then using NPCs known to those characters to assist in goals and objectives that will hook the PC. The emphasis is in a collaborative, open world with minimum DM prep and maximum character growth. May not work for all groups. But probably will.
Read January 2013
Re-read August 2014
This book is great because it not only gives advice but step by step instructions on game prep, mostly concerning ways to assist your players in fleshing out their character and then using NPCs known to those characters to assist in goals and objectives that will hook the PC. The emphasis is in a collaborative, open world with minimum DM prep and maximum character growth. May not work for all groups. But probably will.
Read January 2013
Re-read August 2014
May 1, 2015
Många användbara tips. Mycket är förstås subjektivt, men författaren medger det öppet, och försöker inte påstå att han besitter den enda sanningen.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews