What do you think?
Rate this book
Kobold Guide to Gamemastering
DECADES OF GMING EXPERIENCE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS! Whether it’s advice from grognards who were running games at the dawn of RPGs, or suggestions from the new generation of game designers, these 21 essays by experts are here to help you improve your GMing skills and create fun, amazing, memorable campaigns that’ll be talked about for years. In this book, master GMs and storytellers give you advice about solo campaigns, shy players, cell phones, and making rulings on the fly. Are you unprepared for the game you’re running half an hour from now? Did you accidentally kill all the PCs? Do you want to run a game for kids? Did the plot take a sudden turn and the PCs have gone into uncharted territory? We’ve got you covered. Complete with discussions on highlighting player strengths, tips for new and veteran GMs, and character romances, you’ll find useful advice about making your game more welcoming, more engaging, and more fun. Featuring essays by Wolfgang Baur, David “Zeb” Cook, Shanna Germain, Monica Valentinelli, Steve Winter, and many other game professionals. “Kobold Press builds on its excellent track record with another great release—new and provocative.” —Mike Mearls PRAISE FOR OTHER BOOKS IN THE ENNIE AWARD-WINNING KOBOLD GUIDE SERIES “Class is in session . . . The Kobold Guide to Worldbuilding should be considered a textbook on intelligent setting creation.” —Dave Hinojosa, The Gaming Gang “Highly recommended for gaming nerds everywhere.” —CityBookReview.com “A fantastic resource.” —Skyland Games
195 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 3, 2017
58 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Keith Baker
73 books190 followersI've been interested in games since I first fell under the sinister influence of the Dungeons & Dragons boxed set, back in sixth grade. Over the last few decades I have managed to turn gaming from a hobby into a career. Here is a list of the highlights of my life as a game designer. If you have any questions, let me know!
From 1994-2002, I fell into the computer games industry. My first job was with Magnet Interactive Studios, in Washington DC. Sadly, Magnet never managed to hit the big time as a game developer. I worked on a number of projects during my stay at Magnet; for a time I was lead designer on a game called BLUESTAR, a position that was held at other times by such roleplaying luminaries as Ken Rolston and Zeb Cook. However, the only work that ever saw the light of day was some level design on the abstract arcade game Icebreaker.
Magnet began a slow implosion in 1996, and along with a number of other people I went to work for a Colorado company called VR1. I started as lead designer on VR-1 Crossroads, a text-based MUD centered on warring conspiracies – The X-Files meets Illuminati, with a world of dreams thrown in for good measure. When VR1 decided to move away from text games, I started work on a graphical MMORPG based on the pulp serials. After a few twists and turns, the project ended up being known as Lost Continents. But early in 2002 I decided that I'd had enough of the computer games industry and left VR1 to focus on writing. Then in June of 2002, Wizards of the Coast announced their Fantasy Setting Search, and I thought: What about pulp fantasy? And the rest is history. . .
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
From 1994-2002, I fell into the computer games industry. My first job was with Magnet Interactive Studios, in Washington DC. Sadly, Magnet never managed to hit the big time as a game developer. I worked on a number of projects during my stay at Magnet; for a time I was lead designer on a game called BLUESTAR, a position that was held at other times by such roleplaying luminaries as Ken Rolston and Zeb Cook. However, the only work that ever saw the light of day was some level design on the abstract arcade game Icebreaker.
Magnet began a slow implosion in 1996, and along with a number of other people I went to work for a Colorado company called VR1. I started as lead designer on VR-1 Crossroads, a text-based MUD centered on warring conspiracies – The X-Files meets Illuminati, with a world of dreams thrown in for good measure. When VR1 decided to move away from text games, I started work on a graphical MMORPG based on the pulp serials. After a few twists and turns, the project ended up being known as Lost Continents. But early in 2002 I decided that I'd had enough of the computer games industry and left VR1 to focus on writing. Then in June of 2002, Wizards of the Coast announced their Fantasy Setting Search, and I thought: What about pulp fantasy? And the rest is history. . .
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 5, 2017
For the most part this is a solid book of advice for new Gamemasters and a good refresher for veteran Gamemasters, all of which is presented in easy to read essay format from some of the big names in the industry (such as David “Zeb” Cook, Wolfgang Baur, Ed Greenwood and Steve Winter). A lot of advice stressed the importance of communication (which I agree with) and my only critique (which I believe is an important one) is that I felt there was an overall “tone” pushing for a happy go lucky, players should always win and it’s the GM’s job to support this type of game.
Please bear in mind that I recognize that there are many ways to run/play RPGs and as long as the players and GM are having fun that is what matters the most. With over three decades of playing and GMing experience, I have been exposed to a variety of play styles and I understand that whether or not a person/group enjoys a type of play style is a personal preference. But what I have noticed, particularly in the recent years is that RPG advice (for both players and GMs) tends to reinforce a non-realistic, no one fails, and the enemies always lose type of game (which as I mentioned, felt was the overall tone of this book).
There are a few essays in this book that only just touch upon the grimier methods of playing RPGs and I think it’s important to note that realistic (character life and death) situations and serious role play with character consequences for bad decisions can make for a great and memorable game. Epic tales are abound with sacrifice (death, loss, etc) and when done correctly, they can contribute to the story in an appropriate and awe-inspiring way. I am not advocating old school GM versus player here, but I am advocating that there are other play styles than just the everything is laid back and easy going where characters can do no wrong approach.
Please bear in mind that I recognize that there are many ways to run/play RPGs and as long as the players and GM are having fun that is what matters the most. With over three decades of playing and GMing experience, I have been exposed to a variety of play styles and I understand that whether or not a person/group enjoys a type of play style is a personal preference. But what I have noticed, particularly in the recent years is that RPG advice (for both players and GMs) tends to reinforce a non-realistic, no one fails, and the enemies always lose type of game (which as I mentioned, felt was the overall tone of this book).
There are a few essays in this book that only just touch upon the grimier methods of playing RPGs and I think it’s important to note that realistic (character life and death) situations and serious role play with character consequences for bad decisions can make for a great and memorable game. Epic tales are abound with sacrifice (death, loss, etc) and when done correctly, they can contribute to the story in an appropriate and awe-inspiring way. I am not advocating old school GM versus player here, but I am advocating that there are other play styles than just the everything is laid back and easy going where characters can do no wrong approach.
March 16, 2022
Erg...this has a lot of problems. The first obvious problem is the clear use of Matthew Mercer's likeness on the cover with no mention or thanks to him or Critical Role, which, for a volume purporting inclusiveness and awareness and openness, that's at best a disservice.
Another obvious problem is the majority of selections come from "who are these people?" A couple come from some old, old timers, telling us about the good-ol' days when things like the Tomb of Horrors were hilarious and all the -isms rampant in TSR and early productions were no big deal. To be fair, some of those old timers offer helpful ideas from decades of experience, but the rest are people we don't know, so their expert advice comes at us from who knows where. Maybe the bio sketches could offer us some insight into why these people are credible sources of advice, and they almost do ... except most of them try to be humorous, undercutting all attempts at authority. Worse, many bios try too hard to show how important this contributor is to the planes of RPGs, but since we still don't know who this person is, the fact this person has spent so many years in the biz without any widespread recognition doesn't give us reason to suddenly credit the insights offered. (No, I'm not saying you should only take advice from famous people you "know" - but for a "guide," it's crucial for the advice givers to be trustworthy, creditable sources.)
This tome attempts to offer a variety of perspectives, which is great, in theory, but when those various perspectives offer diametrically opposed ideas (always as "the right way to play") with no editorial explanation or dialogue, we get conflicting ideas and no way to know which of the "right ways" is actually right. You may object to my objection, saying it's up to us to figure out what's the right way for us to play. Sure, fine. You figure it out. Why read this book, then?
Another sub-stellar aspect of this work is the confusing insistence for most of the essays that you, the wannabe-DM, surely must be planning to DM for complete strangers. So much of the first several essays assume you have no idea who the people are you are going to be campaigning with, which is such a nonsensical notion the utility of much of the book is immediately lessened if not outright scrapped.
Other perplexing aspects of the essays are the almost zealous emphases on fun, Fun, FUN! as if that is the only possible reason to play games of this nature, and if not everyone is having absolute fun every single moment of every single game, either you are failing utterly as a GM or the players are such wretched, bigoted people you should abandon them immediately. (One of the essays goes so far as to suggest you kick out all the players from "your" group if they don't like your ideas, especially about what is acceptable in "your" world.) I agree this is primarily about fun, but the urgency and ferocity with which so many essays demand you all have fun constantly seems to diminish what this activity is capable of and even for. Can't this be "important," too? without being "fun"? at least for a little while? (I'm not implying "fun is not important," mind you - but so many essays spend so much time and effort trying to convince us this is all a lark, lighten up, and also put gobs of hours into preparation and don't you dare allow any conflict between players because that ruins everything. This is another aspect in which the purported "you are clearly going to DM for complete strangers" idea hampers the utility of the work.) Perhaps worse, a couple essays define "the right fun" rather rigidly, embarrassingly so, seemingly defeating the purpose of not just this work but playing RPGs themselves.
As a parting comment, I'm not sure what editing Mr. Reynolds did - so much of the work is replete with misspellings, typographical errors, punctuation gaffes, shoddy grammatical construction, disharmony of tones (even within essays), intended audience confusions, and more. I say this not to insult, but the mistakes are pervasive and palpable. This collection feels hastily slapped together with no meaningful cohesion or shape or, ultimately, purpose. The essays are fairly short, yes, but too long to be useful for quick reference. No index gives us immediate access to specific areas of DM strategies. Aside from the 1.5-page introduction (which gives us nothing substantial), we have no unifying voice to lead us from section to section or, as mentioned above, help us navigate the contradictions within (and among) sections.
This could have been presented much better and thus been much more useful as a "guide."
I'm probably wrong. Read it and have fun, Fun, FUN! Or else you're doing it wrong!
Another obvious problem is the majority of selections come from "who are these people?" A couple come from some old, old timers, telling us about the good-ol' days when things like the Tomb of Horrors were hilarious and all the -isms rampant in TSR and early productions were no big deal. To be fair, some of those old timers offer helpful ideas from decades of experience, but the rest are people we don't know, so their expert advice comes at us from who knows where. Maybe the bio sketches could offer us some insight into why these people are credible sources of advice, and they almost do ... except most of them try to be humorous, undercutting all attempts at authority. Worse, many bios try too hard to show how important this contributor is to the planes of RPGs, but since we still don't know who this person is, the fact this person has spent so many years in the biz without any widespread recognition doesn't give us reason to suddenly credit the insights offered. (No, I'm not saying you should only take advice from famous people you "know" - but for a "guide," it's crucial for the advice givers to be trustworthy, creditable sources.)
This tome attempts to offer a variety of perspectives, which is great, in theory, but when those various perspectives offer diametrically opposed ideas (always as "the right way to play") with no editorial explanation or dialogue, we get conflicting ideas and no way to know which of the "right ways" is actually right. You may object to my objection, saying it's up to us to figure out what's the right way for us to play. Sure, fine. You figure it out. Why read this book, then?
Another sub-stellar aspect of this work is the confusing insistence for most of the essays that you, the wannabe-DM, surely must be planning to DM for complete strangers. So much of the first several essays assume you have no idea who the people are you are going to be campaigning with, which is such a nonsensical notion the utility of much of the book is immediately lessened if not outright scrapped.
Other perplexing aspects of the essays are the almost zealous emphases on fun, Fun, FUN! as if that is the only possible reason to play games of this nature, and if not everyone is having absolute fun every single moment of every single game, either you are failing utterly as a GM or the players are such wretched, bigoted people you should abandon them immediately. (One of the essays goes so far as to suggest you kick out all the players from "your" group if they don't like your ideas, especially about what is acceptable in "your" world.) I agree this is primarily about fun, but the urgency and ferocity with which so many essays demand you all have fun constantly seems to diminish what this activity is capable of and even for. Can't this be "important," too? without being "fun"? at least for a little while? (I'm not implying "fun is not important," mind you - but so many essays spend so much time and effort trying to convince us this is all a lark, lighten up, and also put gobs of hours into preparation and don't you dare allow any conflict between players because that ruins everything. This is another aspect in which the purported "you are clearly going to DM for complete strangers" idea hampers the utility of the work.) Perhaps worse, a couple essays define "the right fun" rather rigidly, embarrassingly so, seemingly defeating the purpose of not just this work but playing RPGs themselves.
As a parting comment, I'm not sure what editing Mr. Reynolds did - so much of the work is replete with misspellings, typographical errors, punctuation gaffes, shoddy grammatical construction, disharmony of tones (even within essays), intended audience confusions, and more. I say this not to insult, but the mistakes are pervasive and palpable. This collection feels hastily slapped together with no meaningful cohesion or shape or, ultimately, purpose. The essays are fairly short, yes, but too long to be useful for quick reference. No index gives us immediate access to specific areas of DM strategies. Aside from the 1.5-page introduction (which gives us nothing substantial), we have no unifying voice to lead us from section to section or, as mentioned above, help us navigate the contradictions within (and among) sections.
This could have been presented much better and thus been much more useful as a "guide."
I'm probably wrong. Read it and have fun, Fun, FUN! Or else you're doing it wrong!
February 24, 2024
While all of the essays have some good thoughts, most of the early ones left me thinking, "Yeah, that's a great idea. How am I supposed to do that?" The better early ones included an example or two of how they'd used their own advice in a game.
After Part 1, though, the quality improves noticeably, and overall I found the book quite helpful. Just, don't give up on it if the early ones aren't doing much for you.
After Part 1, though, the quality improves noticeably, and overall I found the book quite helpful. Just, don't give up on it if the early ones aren't doing much for you.
March 16, 2022
Interesting little bite-sized essays regarding being a GM/DM. Good tips on moving the game along, thinking on the fly and ultimately being able to read the room and bring maximum entertainment to your RPG group.
I've always thought it would be a blast to GM a group, but it's intimidating. I'm not sure if I'll ever get there...
I listened to the Audible audiobook and thought the narrator did a great job. It was a brisk listen.
I've always thought it would be a blast to GM a group, but it's intimidating. I'm not sure if I'll ever get there...
I listened to the Audible audiobook and thought the narrator did a great job. It was a brisk listen.
October 20, 2018
Unos artículos muy recomendables si te vas a convertir en un master rolero. Por desgracia los artículos no tienen un tema común y saltan de aquí para allá. En general está bien pero podría haberse estructurado mucho mejor.
February 26, 2021
This is an excellent resource for a gamemaster, that is quite broad and covers quite a bit of territory. It could have used a touch more proofreading as every essay has at least one small grammatical error, but none of them stop you from getting what is meant.
September 14, 2024
A collection of essays about GMing. Offers some good tips and tricks but it's not as comprehensive or as much of a must-read as So You Want To Be A Game Master?
December 11, 2024
Rather like all of these books, this is a mixed bag, but this particular book stands out because it contains one of the most conceited ‘some may say…’ essays I’ve ever read. Dreadfully pleased with itself, and stands out like a sore thumb in the collection of otherwise very practical pieces.
December 23, 2025
Another strong entry in Kobold Press' long-running gaming "Guide to" volumes. With short chapters told by a panoply of industry heavyweights, this one earns its place alongside other strong entries in the series.
June 21, 2018
Excellent book with tips that veteran DMs need to remember.
January 18, 2021
This was meh. There were a couple of tidbits here and there that could be useful, but otherwise it's nothing the actual 5th Edition DM Guide doesn't talk about, repackaged in less formal language.
July 13, 2023
I listened to this on audio. I enjoyed the variety of topics addressed and it had some thoughtful advice for Game Masters.
May 16, 2024
Really good ideas, although sometimes too focused on D&D. Still, many things are usable on different games.
June 6, 2024
Some really good advice some meh. Definitely good for beginners
September 25, 2024
Basic guide to GMing, with some interesting food for thought. Some essays are very basic & at times they overlap and repeat points by other authors.
March 30, 2021
Terrible editing. Some good essays.
September 19, 2020
Mixed bag, mostly ok advice but nothing that is going to level you up
December 26, 2017
Not bad, but the real gem is Valentinelli's article on plotting campaigns. Easily worth the cover price alone.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews