What do you think?
Rate this book
Play Unsafe
Often, we treat games like work. We buy shelves of thick books. We plan detailed adventures. We memorise rules.
In Play Unsafe, Graham Walmsley explores what happens when you throw the serious stuff away: when you stop working, stop planning and start playing.
This book explains how to make roleplaying less like work and more like play; stop killing other players' ideas and build on them instead; and put stories at the heart of your game.
In Play Unsafe, Graham Walmsley explores what happens when you throw the serious stuff away: when you stop working, stop planning and start playing.
This book explains how to make roleplaying less like work and more like play; stop killing other players' ideas and build on them instead; and put stories at the heart of your game.
82 pages, paperback
First published January 1, 2007
35 people are currently reading
221 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 - 30 of 32 reviews
September 10, 2019
This book is a sin. Graham Walmsley should cut off both of his hands to repent for this crime against writing that he has produced. So, to save you from the misery I experienced allow me to give you a one-sentence summary of the book's contents: "I took an improv acting class once and am now good GM!"
There.
Now you don't have to read it.
This piece is 10 pages of content stretched out to fill an 68 page essay. It would fail any middle school english class to whom it was given. I assume it is self-published because I do not see a publisher on the copy itself and because the book is desperately in need of an editor.
Graham's thesis is that you should never plan anything and always go off the cuff. This must have been his approach to the book as well since it reads like it was written in a single half hour sitting fueled by too much drugs or too much coffee. Or both. There are numerous spelling, grammatical, and typographic errors that even a casual look over would have caught. It's incredibly sloppy and if one is going to go so far as to publish a book, one should at least give a once-over of the text before hitting the 'send' button.
Paragraphs are rarely longer than two sentences. The text itself is rambling and repetitive. Before an idea can be satisfactorily explored, we've moved on to something else. The biggest disappointment here is that there is kernel of something in here that doesn't get developed because Graham was too lazy to do any actual work on his pamphlet.
So where was the effort invested? Into every trick you used in high school to extend paper length. The font height borders on that used for 'visually impaired' versions. It looks like the text is damn near triple-spaced. A full 20% of each page's usable room is dedicated to an indent with the section heading on it. New sections are frequent which gives Graham the excuse to drop in a new header in an absurd font size. Sometimes page breaks are inserted to no discernible purpose. And each 'chapter' is opened with an over-indulgent splash page of the chapter title and some free-use stock photo. More work was put into getting this thing up to 70 pages. I gave Tracy Hickman's XDM shit for its filler content but at least that was content. This is just bullshit tricks to try and justify a price tag. This should have been a blog post.
So, is it any use to a Game Master? I don't know. Maybe. Going with the flow set by your players is always a good idea but I don't need 70 pages for that. The only good salient advice it gives is using out-of-character talking to check for in-character actions. If you're going to do something shocking that will affect another player's character, talking through the intent before hand and then executing the scene. That's a good idea. But the rambling nature of the narrative makes pulling anything else out a losing game.
Graham also doesn't seem to get RPGs. He brings up Vampire - The Masquerade several times. Of how bored he was with the games rigid social dynamics and how careful everyone was. That's the fucking point of VtM, you rube. The Camarilla enforces an extremely strict society to keep the masquerade, the secret of vampires, kept from humanity who would wipe them out. If he doesn't like strict social mores and skullduggery, he should play a fucking anarch.
He mentions dungeon crawls only once and that's for good reason. Because dungeon crawls really don't fit this idea that off-the-cuff completely-unplanned GMing is better. For a dungeon crawl to work you have to have a layout and a framework. Players are expecting that experience. Later in the book he decides to add a chapter on story structure and drops things that require planning but then says that you shouldn't plan and then drops it all together, presumably after realizing that he was making no sense.
So, is unplanned GMing better or more desirable? Well, judging by the sales figures of pregenerated modules - I'd say that's a firm, "No." What is better? Get a framework. Keep some elements in mind and a basic story structure. Deviate from your framework as needed. Encourage player ideas and follow along if they do get off the beaten path. But you have to start with a skeleton or you've got no story to tell.
There.
Now you don't have to read it.
This piece is 10 pages of content stretched out to fill an 68 page essay. It would fail any middle school english class to whom it was given. I assume it is self-published because I do not see a publisher on the copy itself and because the book is desperately in need of an editor.
Graham's thesis is that you should never plan anything and always go off the cuff. This must have been his approach to the book as well since it reads like it was written in a single half hour sitting fueled by too much drugs or too much coffee. Or both. There are numerous spelling, grammatical, and typographic errors that even a casual look over would have caught. It's incredibly sloppy and if one is going to go so far as to publish a book, one should at least give a once-over of the text before hitting the 'send' button.
Paragraphs are rarely longer than two sentences. The text itself is rambling and repetitive. Before an idea can be satisfactorily explored, we've moved on to something else. The biggest disappointment here is that there is kernel of something in here that doesn't get developed because Graham was too lazy to do any actual work on his pamphlet.
So where was the effort invested? Into every trick you used in high school to extend paper length. The font height borders on that used for 'visually impaired' versions. It looks like the text is damn near triple-spaced. A full 20% of each page's usable room is dedicated to an indent with the section heading on it. New sections are frequent which gives Graham the excuse to drop in a new header in an absurd font size. Sometimes page breaks are inserted to no discernible purpose. And each 'chapter' is opened with an over-indulgent splash page of the chapter title and some free-use stock photo. More work was put into getting this thing up to 70 pages. I gave Tracy Hickman's XDM shit for its filler content but at least that was content. This is just bullshit tricks to try and justify a price tag. This should have been a blog post.
So, is it any use to a Game Master? I don't know. Maybe. Going with the flow set by your players is always a good idea but I don't need 70 pages for that. The only good salient advice it gives is using out-of-character talking to check for in-character actions. If you're going to do something shocking that will affect another player's character, talking through the intent before hand and then executing the scene. That's a good idea. But the rambling nature of the narrative makes pulling anything else out a losing game.
Graham also doesn't seem to get RPGs. He brings up Vampire - The Masquerade several times. Of how bored he was with the games rigid social dynamics and how careful everyone was. That's the fucking point of VtM, you rube. The Camarilla enforces an extremely strict society to keep the masquerade, the secret of vampires, kept from humanity who would wipe them out. If he doesn't like strict social mores and skullduggery, he should play a fucking anarch.
He mentions dungeon crawls only once and that's for good reason. Because dungeon crawls really don't fit this idea that off-the-cuff completely-unplanned GMing is better. For a dungeon crawl to work you have to have a layout and a framework. Players are expecting that experience. Later in the book he decides to add a chapter on story structure and drops things that require planning but then says that you shouldn't plan and then drops it all together, presumably after realizing that he was making no sense.
So, is unplanned GMing better or more desirable? Well, judging by the sales figures of pregenerated modules - I'd say that's a firm, "No." What is better? Get a framework. Keep some elements in mind and a basic story structure. Deviate from your framework as needed. Encourage player ideas and follow along if they do get off the beaten path. But you have to start with a skeleton or you've got no story to tell.
September 19, 2012
Play Unsafe was not what I expected - not what I was promised when I read the back of the book. I wanted information about Improvisation, tips and tricks for keeping things going. What I got was a set of proscriptive guidelines that in many cases seemed to be simply the author's personal taste presented as set-in-stone rules.
Taken as suggestions for trying new things, some of the material presented wasn't too bad, though it wasn't exactly novel. I'd never heard the idea of building drama by starting during an 'ordinary' routine called a "platform" before, but the name he gave it was the only new thing about a very common idea.
The real problem with the book is the tone it is written in, and the fact that it is simply incorrect in places. He states that true drama can't be created without the platform technique, that starting amidst the action doesn't work. However, beginning a story in media res is not only a very common, very useful storytelling technique, it's arguably a more dramatic way to begin things. What better way to challenge a player and build a fascinating story than to start him or her in the middle of a difficult situation and allow them to narrate not only how they got out of it, but what got them into it in the first place. It works well in novels and stories, creating a sense of mystery as we wonder the why and hows of the situation, and it can work just as well in games.
The short of it is, I didn't get anything out of this book at all. It is full of a lot of platitudes (play unsafe! If something scares you, do it!) but you can get that from countless blogs and any number of self-help books. This book claims to help you improve your improvisational skills, but all it actually does is tell you to "do it." To me, less than useful.
Taken as suggestions for trying new things, some of the material presented wasn't too bad, though it wasn't exactly novel. I'd never heard the idea of building drama by starting during an 'ordinary' routine called a "platform" before, but the name he gave it was the only new thing about a very common idea.
The real problem with the book is the tone it is written in, and the fact that it is simply incorrect in places. He states that true drama can't be created without the platform technique, that starting amidst the action doesn't work. However, beginning a story in media res is not only a very common, very useful storytelling technique, it's arguably a more dramatic way to begin things. What better way to challenge a player and build a fascinating story than to start him or her in the middle of a difficult situation and allow them to narrate not only how they got out of it, but what got them into it in the first place. It works well in novels and stories, creating a sense of mystery as we wonder the why and hows of the situation, and it can work just as well in games.
The short of it is, I didn't get anything out of this book at all. It is full of a lot of platitudes (play unsafe! If something scares you, do it!) but you can get that from countless blogs and any number of self-help books. This book claims to help you improve your improvisational skills, but all it actually does is tell you to "do it." To me, less than useful.
July 9, 2021
It isn’t really mind blowing stuff and a lot of ideas are not new. If you are familiar with improv than a lot of the things in this book you already know and I find that this Youtube video (https://youtu.be/xBkMOsZ7KDo) by Adam Koebel tells a lot of the same stuff about getting to the table with nothing prepared way better.
Some things I also flat out disagree on. I’m truly against the idea of pushing players boundaries just so you can make a more ‘interesting’ game. I personally think describing sexual content in a RPG is a really bad idea as it can quickly come over as creepy and sexual acts in a group setting feels weird.
I also think writing in a structure as if it is a story can be quite hard if you fly completely by the seat of your pants and some moments may feel a bit random as I if you were making it up on the spot (which you are!)
I would personally advice from experience the best way to run a complete improv game (especially oneshots) is to use a rules light, narrative system (my favorites are Fate Core and Dungeon World) and come with nothing prepared at the table.
During character creation ask your players a lot of questions and generally saying ‘yes, and…’ to everything they say and what they think the adventure should be about.
Then once something has formed, take a little break and write a structure of encounters one sentence each.
Then if you want to you can write a little paragraph you narrate at the beginning of your adventure.
And that’s it.
Just keep saying ‘Yes, and…’ (unless it is something completely ridiculous or impossible but if you play with people you trust this rarely happens) to your players until the session comes to a conclusion.
I think wanting to completely improvise a session shouldn’t come at the cost of having nothing written down.
Some things I also flat out disagree on. I’m truly against the idea of pushing players boundaries just so you can make a more ‘interesting’ game. I personally think describing sexual content in a RPG is a really bad idea as it can quickly come over as creepy and sexual acts in a group setting feels weird.
I also think writing in a structure as if it is a story can be quite hard if you fly completely by the seat of your pants and some moments may feel a bit random as I if you were making it up on the spot (which you are!)
I would personally advice from experience the best way to run a complete improv game (especially oneshots) is to use a rules light, narrative system (my favorites are Fate Core and Dungeon World) and come with nothing prepared at the table.
During character creation ask your players a lot of questions and generally saying ‘yes, and…’ to everything they say and what they think the adventure should be about.
Then once something has formed, take a little break and write a structure of encounters one sentence each.
Then if you want to you can write a little paragraph you narrate at the beginning of your adventure.
And that’s it.
Just keep saying ‘Yes, and…’ (unless it is something completely ridiculous or impossible but if you play with people you trust this rarely happens) to your players until the session comes to a conclusion.
I think wanting to completely improvise a session shouldn’t come at the cost of having nothing written down.
November 6, 2014
A noble effort. For anyone who lacks a basic understanding of stage improv this may be of interest.
Light on ideas, lacking original art. If you can read it for free, do.
Light on ideas, lacking original art. If you can read it for free, do.
October 4, 2022
Terrible.
Not worth the £12 charged for it.
This should have been a free PDF.
Even then it would be almost worthless.
The writing is bad.
The structure of the book is bad.
Don't waste your time.
You can read every single idea in here in a few free website lists I would think.
Not worth the £12 charged for it.
This should have been a free PDF.
Even then it would be almost worthless.
The writing is bad.
The structure of the book is bad.
Don't waste your time.
You can read every single idea in here in a few free website lists I would think.
January 19, 2025
I'm confused to say the least.
There is a bit of good advice in here (and why I gave 2/5), and I guess it was revolutionary for 2007 (nowadays it's nothing unheard of).
But there is also a lot of terrible advice.
Here my jaw dropped: "Can I kill your character's wife?". Pushing players boundaries can be a terrible mistake and lead to being kicked out of the group.
Another example is to not start with action, and let the tension build with "routine" (read: boring) activities. This is a good way to get some of your players bored (depends on the group, for sure). In medias res is one of the best way to start an adventure, or session.
Also, the writing is really basic with very short paragraphs, and concepts should have been explained in more depth.
There is also random advice, for example the Status chapter: how to play characters with low and high status.
The book feels really disconnected, and seems like a bunch of notes I would take for myself. Or an incomplete draft of an actual book.
There is a bit of good advice in here (and why I gave 2/5), and I guess it was revolutionary for 2007 (nowadays it's nothing unheard of).
But there is also a lot of terrible advice.
Here my jaw dropped: "Can I kill your character's wife?". Pushing players boundaries can be a terrible mistake and lead to being kicked out of the group.
Another example is to not start with action, and let the tension build with "routine" (read: boring) activities. This is a good way to get some of your players bored (depends on the group, for sure). In medias res is one of the best way to start an adventure, or session.
Also, the writing is really basic with very short paragraphs, and concepts should have been explained in more depth.
There is also random advice, for example the Status chapter: how to play characters with low and high status.
The book feels really disconnected, and seems like a bunch of notes I would take for myself. Or an incomplete draft of an actual book.
May 4, 2011
Walmsley's Play Unsafe is a fantastic introduction to the concept of off-the-cuff roleplaying. Using improv techniques as the basis, he shows how those same concepts can be applied at the gaming table, by both players and Game Masters, to move from the highly-structured play style involving heavily-scripted plots and railroad-y stories to a more organic flow of narration based on the ideas thrown out by the participants at the moment. It isn't all-or-nothing, as Walmsley gives ideas on how to transition from one style to the other via the use of certain techniques before others.
I found the tone very conversational and approachable, almost a transcript of a seminar or lecture (an audio version might not be a bad idea). The presentation of the concepts is such that anyone can pick it up without needing to know anything about acting or improv, and the examples using actual games show how to apply all the theory being dished out.
I only see two drawbacks with the book. First, it is a very sparse book; the content is fantastic, but it feels as if it was stretched out via blank spaces and large fonts to fill up the 80 or so pages. It makes it very easy on the eye, admittedly, but it also felt like there was a lot of wasted space. Second, while it does contain examples, I found myself wanting more: show me more ways to apply the theory, more ways in which things can go wrong then turned back on track with these techniques. More uses of the latter would address my opinion of the former (a revised edition, perhaps?).
That said, I liked the book a lot. It's a great pamphlet to give someone who wants to do more with their game, try out new techniques (dare I say, evolve their style) to read and digest, and in fact I may be doing just that. Kudos to Walmsley for a great primer to more free-form roleplaying. Go, and play unsafe.
I found the tone very conversational and approachable, almost a transcript of a seminar or lecture (an audio version might not be a bad idea). The presentation of the concepts is such that anyone can pick it up without needing to know anything about acting or improv, and the examples using actual games show how to apply all the theory being dished out.
I only see two drawbacks with the book. First, it is a very sparse book; the content is fantastic, but it feels as if it was stretched out via blank spaces and large fonts to fill up the 80 or so pages. It makes it very easy on the eye, admittedly, but it also felt like there was a lot of wasted space. Second, while it does contain examples, I found myself wanting more: show me more ways to apply the theory, more ways in which things can go wrong then turned back on track with these techniques. More uses of the latter would address my opinion of the former (a revised edition, perhaps?).
That said, I liked the book a lot. It's a great pamphlet to give someone who wants to do more with their game, try out new techniques (dare I say, evolve their style) to read and digest, and in fact I may be doing just that. Kudos to Walmsley for a great primer to more free-form roleplaying. Go, and play unsafe.
November 1, 2018
I see this book recommended a lot, and frankly after reading it I'm not sure why. I guess maybe if you are a GM or player who has no experience improvising whatsoever, or aren't comfortable with letting go of some of your control, it could be helpful by introducing new concepts or giving you ideas about HOW to improvise, but to be completely honest, I'm not impressed at all. First of all, I don't think the advice is anything special--most of it is pretty intuitive--but worst of all, it's presented poorly. This book is not well written, with the author often talking in circles or never really getting to the point. It can be hard to follow, and when it isn't hard to follow, it's boring or just, to be honest, pointless. There are better guides to "playing unsafe" out there for players and GMs both. A great place to start would be to read Adam Koebel and Sage LaTorra's Dungeon World. Even if you aren't interested in the system, it presents a fantastic framework for running a game in an "unsafe" way.
January 6, 2022
Disappointing. I find the negative reviews to be accurate. The central idea is that the author took an improv class and wrote a thin book about it, applied to TTRPGs. Would be better at half the word count & definitely not worth cash money.
May 17, 2015
A very quick read without much depth. Whilst the ideas are good, they are not new and thee is not enough detail to make this really worthwhile.
November 7, 2021
5 stars, audiobook edition
What I liked:
-Short and succinct; not really any fluff, this just got straight to the point and delved into potential situations, and ways to play through them
Things I didn’t like so much:
-Hmmm…I suppose I only have one complaint, and that’s the fact that I went into this looking for a how to roleplay rather than a how to get better at roleplaying. Cuz I’m great at character development and reactions—on paper. In game, not so much. It takes me too long to come up with in-character dialogue and I typically end up stutter summarizing; “um, yeah, so I guess he says something flippant and witty and…yeah…er, gets back to doing…doctor-y things?” (Complete with questioning, waving hand motions -_-)
So this wasn’t too much of a help for me in regards to that, but the advice is sound and I found it helpful overall.
Definitely recommend for those who play TRPGs, RPGs, etc and are looking for a resource to help them step up their game a smidgen.
What I liked:
-Short and succinct; not really any fluff, this just got straight to the point and delved into potential situations, and ways to play through them
Things I didn’t like so much:
-Hmmm…I suppose I only have one complaint, and that’s the fact that I went into this looking for a how to roleplay rather than a how to get better at roleplaying. Cuz I’m great at character development and reactions—on paper. In game, not so much. It takes me too long to come up with in-character dialogue and I typically end up stutter summarizing; “um, yeah, so I guess he says something flippant and witty and…yeah…er, gets back to doing…doctor-y things?” (Complete with questioning, waving hand motions -_-)
So this wasn’t too much of a help for me in regards to that, but the advice is sound and I found it helpful overall.
Definitely recommend for those who play TRPGs, RPGs, etc and are looking for a resource to help them step up their game a smidgen.
February 23, 2023
This excuse for a book adds almost to nothing about good GMing, even worst, the few original ideas from Graham are actually harmful to a healthy RPG Session. Play Unsafe tread careless in the mindset of causing discomfort for novelty and betrays it's own premise by trying to make a care free game about pushing one's boundaries.
If you're interested in using improvisation techniques in your table, cut to the chase by reading from someone who actually knows what he's talking about and not a mediocre Game Master who's most original idea is to bring misogyny to a plot.
If you're interested in using improvisation techniques in your table, cut to the chase by reading from someone who actually knows what he's talking about and not a mediocre Game Master who's most original idea is to bring misogyny to a plot.
March 12, 2020
New to GMing... it’s a jumping off point
I mean, it was what I needed to start isolating techniques used to weave an interactive, engaging, and exciting adventure. I’m now able to watch other GMs and pinpoint these techniques to see how they bring them to life.
Really appreciate the effort put into this.
Cheers,
^
I mean, it was what I needed to start isolating techniques used to weave an interactive, engaging, and exciting adventure. I’m now able to watch other GMs and pinpoint these techniques to see how they bring them to life.
Really appreciate the effort put into this.
Cheers,
^
March 16, 2021
As an improviser with little RPG experience, there was enough advice for me to benefit from. I could recognize some pitfalls I encountered when I ran my first game of Kids on Bikes. It’s a quick read that helped me narrow in on the parts of role playing I’m not confident with and some options for dealing with them. It put some ideas I was familiar with in a different perspective.
July 9, 2018
Full of good practical advice
I love the ideas about how to be an active player. How to add to the play without stopping it. I think ALL GMs & players should read this and the lessons to heart
I love the ideas about how to be an active player. How to add to the play without stopping it. I think ALL GMs & players should read this and the lessons to heart
August 26, 2024
A very brief but useful guide to basic improvisation, storytelling, and RPG collaboration. It emphasizes taking chances, building on others ideas (yes-and-ing), and reversals of fortune (though it doesn't use that term) as a means of telling memorable stories.
August 23, 2017
Too short, not really in-depth, but still some useful hints and tips. I´d liked more of everything and maybe more divided into a Player and a GM section.
September 12, 2018
I don't know. There's some good stuff here, but really nothing that you wouldn't be able to find at any number of gaming blogs that are out there.
September 4, 2019
Anyone who's at least somewhat familiar with impro(v) won't find much new under the sun here. Still, it's nice Walmsley tries to introduce some of these ideas to the rpg community.
Want to read
February 17, 2021Via book discord. Currently only (at reasonable prices) as US import paperback, check back later.
June 4, 2021
Good ideas on role playing.
January 1, 2022
A short guide very focused on shaking up playing.
June 26, 2022
Pros:
- It's both inexpensive ($5) and accessible
- It's system-agnostic, and includes advice that's applicable to players and game masters
- It's short enough to be read in a single sitting, but thought-provoking enough to merit additional consideration after completing the first read-through
- The author lists a number of potential TTRPG (and even LARP) systems to look into and explore
- Some of the advice seems obvious on its face (ie listen to the people around you, follow social cues, etc), but that's part of why it can be helpful to hear. After all, it's one thing to intellectualize these ideas, to recognize them; it's entirely another to use them.
Cons:
- If you're already familiar with improv / acting, this may not be the most useful work for you. As far as I can tell, it's basically Improv 101 with a TTRPG-focus.
- The author purports a low / no-prep method that involves working with / reacting to other players and the GM. Walmsley even goes so far as to describe this arrangement as, "utopian." I think this is an interesting idea in theory, and the author offers suggestions about how to make a story seem more interconnected than it really is (e.g. by "reincorporating," or calling back to details / plot points that appeared earlier in the game). While this might be the author's ideal, I'm not sure I've ever seen it play out this way in practice. Maybe it's my own inexperience, but I think trying to create an entire session, from scratch, is no easy feat. It might be easier with time and experience, but in my mind there's a lot more to it than, for example, saying "yes, and?" In short, it's one thing to know what players want; it's entirely another to have the framework / ideas / practice / know-how to actually give it to them.
- (Nit-pick) The chapters could be better delineated.
- (Nit-pick) For some reason, there's two tables of contents
Conclusion:
The book is short, cheap, and easy enough to read that it's worth a look for TTRPG players and game masters alike. I appreciate that it's system agnostic, and that it gives useful frameworks to understand running a game (e.g. how to work with others, how to add tension, etc). It's not perfect (the formatting is a little janky and some of the ideas feel like they're better suited to experienced players who probably wouldn't need this work), but I enjoyed my time with this work regardless.
- It's both inexpensive ($5) and accessible
- It's system-agnostic, and includes advice that's applicable to players and game masters
- It's short enough to be read in a single sitting, but thought-provoking enough to merit additional consideration after completing the first read-through
- The author lists a number of potential TTRPG (and even LARP) systems to look into and explore
- Some of the advice seems obvious on its face (ie listen to the people around you, follow social cues, etc), but that's part of why it can be helpful to hear. After all, it's one thing to intellectualize these ideas, to recognize them; it's entirely another to use them.
Cons:
- If you're already familiar with improv / acting, this may not be the most useful work for you. As far as I can tell, it's basically Improv 101 with a TTRPG-focus.
- The author purports a low / no-prep method that involves working with / reacting to other players and the GM. Walmsley even goes so far as to describe this arrangement as, "utopian." I think this is an interesting idea in theory, and the author offers suggestions about how to make a story seem more interconnected than it really is (e.g. by "reincorporating," or calling back to details / plot points that appeared earlier in the game). While this might be the author's ideal, I'm not sure I've ever seen it play out this way in practice. Maybe it's my own inexperience, but I think trying to create an entire session, from scratch, is no easy feat. It might be easier with time and experience, but in my mind there's a lot more to it than, for example, saying "yes, and?" In short, it's one thing to know what players want; it's entirely another to have the framework / ideas / practice / know-how to actually give it to them.
- (Nit-pick) The chapters could be better delineated.
- (Nit-pick) For some reason, there's two tables of contents
Conclusion:
The book is short, cheap, and easy enough to read that it's worth a look for TTRPG players and game masters alike. I appreciate that it's system agnostic, and that it gives useful frameworks to understand running a game (e.g. how to work with others, how to add tension, etc). It's not perfect (the formatting is a little janky and some of the ideas feel like they're better suited to experienced players who probably wouldn't need this work), but I enjoyed my time with this work regardless.
April 18, 2021
This is a book that I have seen referenced again and again in articles, blogposts, and conversation online, so I was excited to get a copy.
In some ways the book was very different from what I expected, and in other ways it was exactly what others had promised.
The first turnoff is the layout and look of the book. In spite of the professional-looking cover, the text within looks like something I'd whip up on Word if I had only a limited time and still less interest in making it look awesome. The second turnoff is the brevity of the text. Topics and ideas are flown past without elaboration or much meditation. I was expecting something much more weighty.
But the more I thought about it, the more I determined that the brevity is actually one of the book's strength. The book could easily have be made twice or even three times as long, but doing so would not have increased the core knowledge communicated. Having each point made directly and then put down is exactly what the topics need and exactly what the reader deserves. Tell me what I need to know or think about and don't waste time with unnecessary examples or further elaboration.
I have fallen in love with the idea of RPGs played in a very improv way as a GM, and this is generally acknowledged as the main text to consult. It's not everything I needed, but it was certainly a great starting point.
In some ways the book was very different from what I expected, and in other ways it was exactly what others had promised.
The first turnoff is the layout and look of the book. In spite of the professional-looking cover, the text within looks like something I'd whip up on Word if I had only a limited time and still less interest in making it look awesome. The second turnoff is the brevity of the text. Topics and ideas are flown past without elaboration or much meditation. I was expecting something much more weighty.
But the more I thought about it, the more I determined that the brevity is actually one of the book's strength. The book could easily have be made twice or even three times as long, but doing so would not have increased the core knowledge communicated. Having each point made directly and then put down is exactly what the topics need and exactly what the reader deserves. Tell me what I need to know or think about and don't waste time with unnecessary examples or further elaboration.
I have fallen in love with the idea of RPGs played in a very improv way as a GM, and this is generally acknowledged as the main text to consult. It's not everything I needed, but it was certainly a great starting point.
March 27, 2025
As others have noted, the writing is not particularly good. More importantly, I think the book just has some really bad ideas:
"You'll run a better game if you don't prep": What utter bullshit. Are movies improvised? TV shows? Books? No. They all go through multiple rounds of brainstorming, refining, and editing. Can the average GM create a coherent mystery on the fly? A climatic battle against a boss and his minions in an exciting locale? Hell no. GMing takes some prep. This is just an excuse that people who don't want to prep use to rationalize their laziness.
As a player, "If you're not saying Screw It as least once a session you're doing it wrong": Hell no. I've played with my share of ADD chaos monkeys who blow up a game the instant they get bored. Don't wish them on anyone.
Unframed would be the better book on this topic.
"You'll run a better game if you don't prep": What utter bullshit. Are movies improvised? TV shows? Books? No. They all go through multiple rounds of brainstorming, refining, and editing. Can the average GM create a coherent mystery on the fly? A climatic battle against a boss and his minions in an exciting locale? Hell no. GMing takes some prep. This is just an excuse that people who don't want to prep use to rationalize their laziness.
As a player, "If you're not saying Screw It as least once a session you're doing it wrong": Hell no. I've played with my share of ADD chaos monkeys who blow up a game the instant they get bored. Don't wish them on anyone.
Unframed would be the better book on this topic.
January 3, 2024
Succinct primer on improv for gamers
Nice collection of ideas to bring some improv techniques to your tabletop RPG or story-game. For GMs and players alike.
Not a ton of depth and no analysis of the consequences of making some of these choices, but I think that's okay because these are really just little techniques that you put in your bandolier, not an over arching system.
One sour note was the prevalence of negative gender stereotypes - killing a character's wife as a story development, seducing the barmaid, etc. If you are going to write a book about playing with power relationships then for God's sake disrupt these hackneyed gender dynamics from time to time!
Nice collection of ideas to bring some improv techniques to your tabletop RPG or story-game. For GMs and players alike.
Not a ton of depth and no analysis of the consequences of making some of these choices, but I think that's okay because these are really just little techniques that you put in your bandolier, not an over arching system.
One sour note was the prevalence of negative gender stereotypes - killing a character's wife as a story development, seducing the barmaid, etc. If you are going to write a book about playing with power relationships then for God's sake disrupt these hackneyed gender dynamics from time to time!
December 16, 2012
A meta book on role-playing games and game-play.
Though very short, I was able to read it in an evening, the advice given is excellent, practical, and geared towards both players and GMs. Though some of the advice might seem like standard game play technique to some players/GMs, a lot of this was new to me and very eye-opening. I really liked this book, and can see myself re-reading certain sections in the future.
Though very short, I was able to read it in an evening, the advice given is excellent, practical, and geared towards both players and GMs. Though some of the advice might seem like standard game play technique to some players/GMs, a lot of this was new to me and very eye-opening. I really liked this book, and can see myself re-reading certain sections in the future.
August 23, 2016
An amazing book with real techniques and their reasoning to elevate improv storytelling. Because of how concise it is--this book is worth rereading several times a year for those interested in continually developing their tabletop gaming skill.
July 7, 2013
Excellent advise for both players and GMs, but almost too short a read to be worth even the Kindle price.
January 21, 2015
Pretty short.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews