It used to be when I was younger. The thought of someone killing you in your nightmares terrified me. Being possessed by a demonic entity who could cause you to projectile vomit was as horrific as it was gross. The thought that a malevolent spirit was haunting my TV gave me a pavlovian response every time that pure white signal appeared. Then Scream deconstructed the slasher movie for me. After that there was Cabin in the Woods which did it again. I started studying storytelling and within that, the tropes of horror movies. Once I got how it worked most of the things I was scared of in media just didn’t affect me anymore.

So horror movies were slayed by horror movies and I moved on. I went to sports media, fantasy, super heroes, Sci-fi. They all became more prominent in what I watched, read, and listened to. Horror was near the bottom of my list. It just wasn’t that interesting.

Then came The Ring. Now that was the first thing to terrify me in years. Something about that movie got me. This new legend about the tape that needed to be copied if you wanted to survive it. It was a modern day Bloody Mary story. But that was 2002 and horror faded once again since nothing else caught my eye. But I was always checking in on these new internet myths that kept popping up. Stuff like The Slender Man and the SCP foundation. Then there was some weird podcast called Welcome to Nightvale. But the thing that cemented my love of weird analog horror stories were four podcasts from Pacific Northwest Stories and the Public Radio Alliance. The Black Tapes, Tanis, Rabbits, and The Last Movie. These four podcasts let me understand what truly scared me. Analog horror. So I looked around for an analog horror ttrpg. I couldn’t find one. So I just kept to myself, ran some weird fantasy stuff now and then, dropped some of these concepts into games where I could, and waited. In 2023 the game I was waiting for popped up as an image that I was instantly drawn to.

So thank you Jason Cordova and The Gauntlet for making Public Access.

Public Access…

…is an Analog horror game. Most of what I’ve mentioned concerning horror media in the previous three paragraphs is in this game. But my favorite part about the game is how it creates horror for the players. It’s not complicated. The game just has you ask the players what they’re afraid of. 

Ok my GM/Keeper friends. Truth is it’s a little more involved than that. I promise I’ll get to it but first, here’s the breakdown of what Public Access will give you if you pick it up and run it.

• A game system designed to terrify and delve into the traumatic pasts of the player created characters
• A campaign structure that’s exceptionally well fleshed out with a beginning, middle, and end
• A bunch of mysteries within the fictional Degoya County in the real New Mexico that’ll give you the people, places, and clues to give Degoya an authentic feeling with true weirdness
• A Big Man to terrify and delight the players
• A bunch of weird tapes from a public access TV station that just vanished one day into the ether
• The nostalgia of a time that’s passed into many of our living memories and is just media history to other younger folks.

Player Characters…

…get to take on the role of one of the Deep Lake Latchkey’s. You’ve come back to Deep Lake, a place you lived for a while as a child. You’re here with some friends you met on a message board that also grew up in Deep Lake. The message board’s primary topic was TV Odyssey, a public access TV station that just vanished one day. You and your friends are young, in your twenties, have rented a house, and are just looking to have some fun for the summer while poking around about TV Odyssey.

Your goal as a player is to look into TV Odyssey and other mysteries that arise in Deep Lake that may or may not be related to TV Odyssey. 

Fear is in the Eye of the Beholder

I mentioned before that the game just asks the players what they’re afraid of. What I’m talking about are the Day move and the Night move. Here they are for your perusal.

The Day Move

When you do something risky or face something you fear, name what you’re afraid will happen – if you fail or lose your nerve, then roll with an appropriate ability.

The Night Move

When you do something risky or face something you fear, name what you’re afraid will happen if you fail or lose your nerve. The Keeper will tell you how it is worse than you fear. You can choose to back down or go through with it. If you go through with it, roll with an appropriate ability.

There’s something about the psychology of this move. By asking a player character what they’re afraid is going to happen after the GM has introduced something to trigger this move does two things. The first is it creates tension for the dice roll. The second and more important thing is the GM doesn’t have to guess what the player is afraid of anymore. The player is helping the GM do it by giving them a target to shoot for. And when the player fails, completely and totally, the GM narrates what happens based on that horrific target, up to and often including the character’s death.

Do you want to turn a Key?

So I just talked about a character dying but I want to assure you this game isn’t short and people don’t just die after one failed die roll. Characters have a resource called keys. They can turn them to bump up their level of success by one step. So if a player character fails a roll the GM can and should narrate the outcome of the roll. After they’re done narrating the player can then choose to live with the outcome or turn a key. This means what happened didn’t happen in this version of reality but may have happened in a different signal and the GM narrates a different outcome.

So what does a different signal mean? The game leaves it up to the GM to decide and will guide the GM to making those choices as the campaign moves along. That’s part of that quality campaign structure I mentioned earlier.

The Keys themselves come in a few different flavors, Keys of the Child, Keys of Desolation, and the Mystery Keys. Each key has a prompt with them that a player needs to follow when they turn one. This ranges from narrating something about a characters past to shifting some stats on a character sheet. It’s all dependent on which key is turned, but the last key of the Keys of Desolation is called The Pure White Signal. Turning that key means your character is “retired”. 

Day, Dusk, Night, and Dawn

These are the phases of play and they help break up and pace sessions. They also let the GM and players know what actions can be taken when. Here’s a few examples:

• There are these weird TV Odyssey tapes but they can only be watched during the night phase, otherwise they just show up as blue screens on TVs. 
• You can only resolve a mystery during the night phase. 
• The questions posed by the mysteries can only be answered during the dusk phase. 
• You get experience points by answering dawn questions during the dawn phase. 

I know that’s just a bunch of static in your ears but I wanted to show that the phases of play have a purpose. They’re also not as stringent as they sound.

In reality the Day phase plays like every other typical investigative RPG you might have played. You roam around to various locations asking questions and meddling in mysteries trying to find clues. 

The Night phase has the catch where you can watch an Odyssey tape, but if you don’t it functions similarly to the Day phase – however, it’s the GMs job to make it more dangerous and when a Day/Night move is triggered it’s more often the Night move. 

It’s worth talking about the Day and Night moves here. They’re really more about when things are dangerous (Day move) and when things are extremely dangerous and you’re probably going to die or have something worse happen to you (Night move). So you can have a Day move during the Night phase and a Night move during the Day phase based on the stakes of the situation.

The Dawn and Dusk phases are more like check-ins where we make sure all the players get a chance to take a breath. During the Dawn phase rewards are collected and things are beginning anew. During Dusk the player characters decide what their next course of action is, potentially throw out some theories about mysteries, decide if they’re going to watch an Odyssey tape, act on an opportunity they’ve discovered from answering a question to a mystery, or if they just want to further their investigations.

If you decide to pick this game up and run it I would say follow the structure of the phases but don’t be afraid to be flexible with them. Your players might want to do something that doesn’t make a lot of sense for the structure but does for the narrative. Go with the narrative. The structure won’t break. 

I Love This Game 

As of this writing I’ve been the Keeper for 16 sessions with two different groups. I’m always excited for every session and I’m blown away by how effective the game is at producing an analog horror experience. Also, it’s a pretty minimal prep game, the mysteries are between 2-3 pages and have everything you need.

If you’re interested in anything I’ve mentioned, feel free to check out the game at Drive Thru RPG here and for more mysteries and support of the game you can check out the Gauntlet Discord or the Gauntlet Patreon. The discord has some excellent chatter and very helpful people when it comes to talking about the game, and the patreon has some extra mysteries you can incorporate into your Public Access games – Void Angels, My Dog Told Me, and The Dream. On top of that if you want to see the game being run by the designer you can check out Signals From the Otherside on Jason Cordova’s YouTube page. It’s just Jason running the game. It’s lightly edited but very entertaining and a great aid in learning how to play and facilitate the game.

If you’d like to see another article or two on running Public Access let me know here. I have a bunch of other tips and ideas for how to help make Degoya County feel like a living breathing place and how to utilize the concepts for locations, side characters, dangers, and the mystery system – which I didn’t really talk about at all, in other games.

Have fun with the weird,

Chris

As a freelance copywriter, and someone who simply enjoys wordcraft, I’ve come up with a few tips to help you get your ideas flowing again.

What is Writer’s Block?

Hey, so quick background for those who haven’t suffered with this condition; what is writer’s block, anyway? In short, it’s when you sit down to write and… nothing. The ideas just don’t come. And even if they do, you can’t seem to get them down on paper (or screen).

And, it’s kind of an interesting dilemma. So, interesting in fact, that there’s quite a body of research out there that tries to explain writer’s block.

RELATED: TIPS FOR WRITING BACK STORIES FOR CAMPAIGNS

Here’s a bit of what I found!

According to some research in the psych field, writer’s block is often caused by psychological conditions such as stress, anxiety, or depression. When you’re feeling stressed or anxious, your mind is focused on other things and it can be tough to concentrate on writing. There’s also the bit about fear of failure, or the need to find perfection in everything you. All of these “fear-based” or “anxiety-like” states of mind can hinder your creative freedom.

(Side note: There’s some interesting evidence of a link between creative types and vulnerability to anxiety)

Depression can also lead to writer’s block because it causes a lack of motivation or interest in activities that used to bring you pleasure. When you’re feeling down, it’s hard to find the energy to write.

While I’m sure there are many other reasons why we have trouble getting words down on a blank page, it comes down to this in my opinion.

We’re afraid of our ideas being judged. Who judges your ideas? Well, you and those who will experience, hear, or–in this case–adventure within your stories, concepts and frankly, the world you’ve created.

For a simple illustration: Ever watch a young child scribble with a crayon? Yes? Notice how they show off their creation to every adult in the room. Looking at the colorful scribble, a child sees fantastical worlds, e.g., flying elephants, dragons, maybe even just a drawing of mommy or daddy. And, yet as an adult, we see an uninterpretable mess…a blank page with something that almost, but not quite resembles whatever that child describes. But, ultimately it’s a kid’s illustration and they have no sense of what is “good or bad”. A child is free.

Without getting into the whole human maturity process, there is a switch that happens in all of us when we realize that there are standards. Yes, standards. And, we irrationally place some of them on ourselves where they do not belong. This is particularly true for the times when we want to (need to) engage with the process of writing creatively.

While I’m not in the position to solve this problem, as it’s a problem as old as the World; I can share a insights I’ve learned along the way in my various professions, and from the depths of my day-to-day thoughts.

Writer’s Block in a Dungeon Master: A Unique Beast

Sure, writer’s block can affect anyone who has to come up with ideas–but I think it’s a special kind of curse for DMs.

Think about it, as a DM you not only have to come up with original content, but you also have to be able to improvise on the fly. If your players decide to go left when you planned for them to go right, you have to be able to come up with something interesting for them to do.

And if you’re experiencing writer’s block, that can be a tall order.

So, what can you do about it?

Well, first of all, it’s important to understand that everyone experiences writer’s block from time to time. Even the most seasoned DMs can find themselves struggling to come up with new ideas. The key is not to let it stop you from writing.

Here are a few tips that might help you get your ideas flowing again:

1. Talk to other DMs: One of the best ways to get over writer’s block is to talk to other DMs. Ask them how they come up with new ideas, what resources they use, and what techniques work best for them. Not only will you get some great tips, but you’ll also feel less alone in your struggle.
2. Take a break: Sometimes the best way to get over writer’s block is to take a break. Get up and walk around, take a nap, or just step away from your work for a little while. You might find that when you come back, you have a fresh perspective and some new ideas.
3. Brainstorm: When all else fails, sit down and brainstorm with yourself or another person. Write down whatever comes to mind, no matter how crazy it sounds. You never know, one of those crazy ideas might just be the spark you need to get your creativity flowing again.
4. Use prompts: If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas on your own, try using prompts. There are tons of prompt lists online, or you can come up with your own. Prompts can help you get started, and once you start writing, the ideas will start to flow.
5. Just write: Sometimes the best way to overcome writer’s block is to just start writing. Don’t worry about whether or not what you’re writing is any good, just get the words down on the page. Once you start writing, the ideas will start to come.
6. Steal (I mean borrow): I’m not saying you should plagiarize, but it’s okay to borrow ideas from other sources. If you’re having trouble coming up with something original, try looking at other stories, movies, or games for inspiration. Just make sure you put your own spin on it so it’s not an exact copy.
7. Take a walk: Sometimes getting some fresh air can help clear your head and give you some new ideas. Go for a walk, sit in the park, or just step outside for a few minutes. You might find that the fresh air does wonders for your creativity.
8. Doodle: If you’re having trouble getting words down on the paper, try doodling instead. Draw a picture, write down a list of ideas, or just get your hands moving. You never know what might come from it.
9. Get organized: If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the ideas in your head, try getting them down in an organized way. Write down a list of ideas, make a mind map, or just get everything down in one place. Once you have everything organized, you might find it easier to start writing.
10. Go analog: If you’re having trouble with digital writing, try going analog. Get a notebook and write down your ideas the old-fashioned way. You might find that the physical act of writing helps to get your ideas flowing. You can even use a typewriter like I do. You can find vintage typewriters on eBay or in antique shops. Flip on that fancy desk lamp and get to it!

Conclusion

Writer’s block can be frustrating, but it doesn’t have to stop you from writing. I hope you found this article helpful!

Use these tips to get your ideas flowing again, and don’t forget to take breaks when you need them. Do you have any tips for overcoming writer’s block? Share them in the comments below.

Happy writing, gaming, and all the fun things!

Disclaimer: The following is merely a summary of my observations and a few brief anecdotal discussions I’ve had with my gaming group over the years of playing Pathfinder. Obviously, people’s opinion will differ on this topic of what kind of game lengths they prefer. My hope is that this article gives you something to chew on, while also giving you some better ideas, or rather, finding that holy grail of that game that you keep searching for.

The length of an RPG game session can be a touchy subject. Some people swear by shorter games, while others feel that longer sessions are where the real fun is at. Ultimately, it’s up to the players and GM to decide what works best for them.

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What is the ideal game session length for an RPG?

It all depends on a variety of factors, including the type of game you’re playing, the players’ preferences, and how much content you want to cover.

One factor to consider is the type of game you’re playing. If you’re playing a fast-paced, action-oriented game, then shorter sessions might work better. On the other hand, if you’re playing a slower, more strategic game, longer sessions might be preferable. For example, is your DnD adventure a hack n’ slash, or is it more of a story telling, narrative adventure. How is your GM/DM setting up your adventure?

Of course, if you’re like me with specific preferences where there is a balance between character development and combat encounters, then a happy middle ground can usually be found.

In addition, player preference is another big factor to consider. Some players prefer shorter sessions so they don’t have to commit a large chunk of time to the game. Others prefer longer sessions so they can really get into the thick of things and explore the game world. As you could have guessed, there’s no right or wrong answer here – it’s all about what works best for the group as a whole.

Of course, how well your party communicates and works together also dictates if you’re going to experience conflicts with timing and dedication. I knew a guy who wanted much more game length, but the rest of us couldn’t play for the 8-10 hours on a weekend. It just wasn’t feasible. More about this below. 

Another factor to consider is the players’ need for frequency to really dive into a story/adventure/campaign. In this case, I’ve found that a good rule of thumb is that if players are meeting weekly, then shorter sessions tend to work better. If they’re meeting less frequently (bi-weekly, monthly, etc.), then longer sessions might be preferable so that everyone can get a chance to dive back into the context that may have lost some of its magic over time.

The game length will also be determined by how much content you (a player or DM) want to to cover. If you’re only playing for a 2-3 hours, you might not be able to get through all the content you wanted to cover. On the other hand, if you’re playing for an extended period of time, you might need to take a break mid-session so everyone doesn’t get too tired.

My Gaming Group’s Ideal Gaming Session Length

I found that as I got older, acquired more adult responsibilities, it became harder to find time for the longer games. And, unsurprisingly so did my gaming group.

When we decided to start playing Pathfinder, we had to come up with a happy medium that would work for all of us. We didn’t want the game sessions to be too long, but we also wanted enough time to get through all the content that we wanted to cover.

We ultimately decided on 4-hour game sessions, which has worked out well for us so far. It’s long enough that we can get through a good amount of content, but not so long that it becomes a slog. 

Of course, there are pros and cons to shorter and longer game sessions. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Pros/Cons of shorter games

Pros of short game sessions

• Shorter games are easier to schedule. You don’t have to block out a large chunk of time in your schedule, which can be helpful if you have a lot of other commitments.
• Shorter games are less likely to be interrupted by real-life obligations (e.g., work, family, etc.).
• Shorter games are less likely to drag on and become boring.

Cons of short game sessions

• Shorter games might not give you enough time to really get into the thick of things.
• If you’re playing a more strategic game, shorter sessions might not give you enough time to make all the decisions you need to make.
• Shorter games might feel like you’re just scratching the surface of the game world and not getting the full experience.

Pros/Cons of longer games

Pros of longer game sessions

• Longer game sessions give you more time to really get into the thick of things.
• If you’re playing a more strategic game, longer sessions give you more time to make all the decisions you need to make.
• Longer games might feel like you’re getting the full experience of the game world.

Cons of longer game sessions

• Longer games can be harder to schedule. You have to block out a large chunk of time in your schedule, which can be difficult if you have a lot of other commitments.
• Longer games are more likely to be interrupted by real-life obligations (e.g., work, family, etc.).
• Longer games are more likely to drag on and become boring.

Things that make a game session worth playing for a long time (examples)

• Rich and detailed world-building
• In-depth character development
• Complex puzzles or challenges
• Long-term planning/campaigning

What makes a game worth playing for a shorter time (examples)

• A simpler world that’s easy to understand
• Shorter, more focused challenges
• Quick character development
• Lighter planning/campaigning requirements

Conclusion – it all depends!

So, what’s the ideal game session length? It really depends on your group’s preferences and the type of game you’re playing. There is no one right answer here – ultimately, you’ll have to experiment and see what works best for your group.

In conclusion, there is no one answer to the question of how long an RPG game session should last. It depends on a variety of factors, including the type of game you’re playing, the players’ preferences, and how much content you want to cover. Ultimately, you’ll have to experiment and see what works best for your group.

To reiterate, my ideal gaming session length has always been between 3-4 hours. It’s just the sweet spot for me in terms of being able to get through a good amount of content without the session dragging on. Of course, your mileage may vary!

What about you? What’s your ideal game session length? Let us know in the comments!

As my birthday approached, I began to feel a bit nostalgic, and seeing that this is my first blog article of my 50s, I thought I would look back on 40 years of gaming, by decade, and share the important lessons I learned from each of them.

The 1980s 

My entry into gaming was while in 4th grade and was, of course, D&D. In my case the Moldvay Pink Box, Basic Set. I quickly jumped from that into the rest of the TSR catalog: Top Secret, Boot Hill, Gamma World, then Marvel Super Heroes, Star Frontiers, and Gangbusters. By the middle of the decade, I found other game companies and began to buy up their games as well. 

I was forced to be the GM, back in those days, because no one else wanted the job. It was either GM or we didn’t play. In the ’80s I was an ok GM, but I didn’t do much to hone my craft. I would read the occasional articles in Dragon Magazine but that was about it. 

Notable games I played/ran:

• D&D and AD&D
• Marvel Super Heroes
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Paranoia (1st and 2nd edition)
• The Price of Freedom
• Cyberpunk (2013)

Lessons Learned

• Pacing. I was so bad at pacing my TMNT campaign that I blew through three campaign arcs all in two months and had to reset the game 3 different times, having exhausted the campaign material and escalating the plot so much that the game would reach a world-changing climax every few weeks. It would not be until the 90s that I would get pacing down (see: Story Pacing: The Chris Carter Way [https://gnomestew.com/story-pacing-the-carter-way/])
• Filing The Serial Numbers Off. In those days I would pull in material from any movie that I had seen and incorporate it into my games, often doing so in a jarring manner, where it would become a distraction to the players. After seeing Bloodsport, the next week in my TMNT game the Galactic Kumite arrived in Earth’s orbit. Over time, I learned about how to take those things and file off the serial numbers, that is remove the media-specific trappings and transfer the concepts into my game. 

The 1990’s

The ’90s covered my college and graduate student years, and I did not play as many games at the start of the decade as I would by the end. The ’90s, for me, marked two important changes in my GMing. The first was an emphasis on story. The games I ran during these times were heavy on characters and story, much more so than the adventures I ran in the 80s. 

The early ’90s was when I realized I enjoyed GMing as an activity and that I wanted to be better at it. It was still a time when advice was sparse, but in the 90s I would read Usenet groups and I attended my first Gen Con, where I went to a number of GMing seminars. My main source of GMing advice would come from the games that I ran, and some of that advice still sticks with me today. 

Notable games I played/ran:

• Amber Diceless
• Vampire: The Masquerade
• Conspiracy X
• Whispering Vault

Lessons Learned

• The Little Details. In the Amber Diceless rules, there was some advice by the late Erik Wujick that talked about making sure to describe some of the small details in a scene to make it more realistic. The size and shape of a room are important, but so is the kind of cutlery there is on the table, and where it may have come from or how it got there. The idea is that small details make a location feel less like a game and more like a place. Since then I have always looked at the small details of my surroundings and in turn, conveyed them in my descriptions of scenes. 
• Character-Based Play. Amber and Vampire taught me how to make individual stories for each of the characters and how to run a session where we jumped from character to character, with the occasional scene where things would cross over. It taught me scene pacing and spotlight sharing. You can hear more about this on a recent Panda’s Talk Games Episode.[http://misdirectedmark.com/2022/03/07/ptg267-a-definition-intermission-story-vs-character-driven-games/]

The 2000s 

Hello, d20. The 2000s for me was a lot of d20 games, as I suspect it was for most of you. I took the day off and drove an hour away to pick up my 3.0 Player’s Handbook, on the day they released. We played so much D&D in those days and then we jumped to every d20 game that followed. While the decade would start with D&D it would also include my first Indie game experience, Fiasco. 

As a GM, I was really into working on being a better GM, and thanks to an invention called Blogs, I would get my chance. It was not long before I found Treasure Tables, the precursor to Gnome Stew, where I would devour every word that Martin wrote. A year later, I wrote my first guest article and before the end of this decade, I would write one of the first articles for this site. 

Notable games I played/ran:

• D&D 3.0
• d20 Modern
• Iron Heroes
• D&D 4.0
• Savage Worlds
• Fiasco

Lessons Learned

This is going to be hard because, by this time, I was writing blog articles about all these things, but here are a few more personal ones.

• Don’t Try To Change Players. The more arrogant side of me thought I could change players through play; like get a player to like a class other than what they really enjoyed playing. What I learned was, don’t. Just don’t. If someone really wants to play Wizards and that is what they derive joy from in a game, then not only let them do it but do what you can in the game to make sure they can really enjoy it. Trying to change people through play is just manipulation, and it’s wrong. 

• Embrace The Unexpected. My first real taste of improv GMing occurred in this decade, with a d20 Modern game that took an unexpected twist in the middle of a session (you can read about it in my essay in Unframed. [https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/132418/Unframed-The-Art-of-Improvisation-for-Game-Masters]) I learned from that session the rush of having to make up the story on the fly and it was the start of a new style of GMing and games for me. This leads us to…

The 2010’s 

This decade would mark the largest change in my gaming and GMing, as my interest would change from the more traditional games into more indie games. It would start right in 2010 at GenCon when readers asked me to review a game called Apocalypse World. After that, my taste in games changed, my gaming group changed, and how I ran games would change.

I started the 2010’s having published my first solo book, Never Unprepared, which talked about how to refine and hone your ability to prep. By the end of the decade, I would start a publishing company and release our first few games. 

As a GM, this was the decade that I learned how to improv GM, through advice, watching others, and just getting out there and running games in the improv style. I never abandoned traditional GMing or prep, but rather, I wanted to be sure I could do both. 

Notable games I played/ran:

• Fate Core
• Dungeon World
• Dungeon Crawl Classics
• Blades in the Dark
• Swords Without Master
• Tales from the Loop 

Lessons Learned

Again, in a similar fashion to the previous decade, most of the lessons I learned became blog articles here. Here are a few personal lessons I learned. 

• Nothing is Forever. Your taste in games can change, your gaming groups can change. Change is not something that should be fought but rather embraced. When my taste in games changed, it did not for a number of my friends. For a few years, we tried to make it work but with increasing frustration. Eventually, our gaming group split and got to play what they wanted to play. You would think that it would not take my 4th decade to get that, but most of the changes in my gaming groups in the past were because of life events, not a change in taste. I thought that the original group would go to the old gamers’ home together, and part of me still misses some of them. But things change and good things can come from change. 

• Be A Fan Of The Characters. The best lesson I learned from PbtA games, and one that I carry into every game I run today, is to be a fan of the characters. Meaning that while I put all sorts of obstacles and challenges in their way, in the end, on the inside (and sometimes on the outside), I am rooting for them. That change in mindset changed how I created stories and how I run my games. 

The 2020’s

This decade has started off rough, and it’s too early to know how it will end up. So far my best piece of advice for this decade is, don’t yuck someone’s yum. In other words, if someone is enjoying a game and playing it in a safe, consensual manner, then don’t dump on the game, their style, etc. It may not be for you, but it might be for them. No Game-Shaming.

I guess, if Blogs are still a thing in 10 years, I will come back and write a follow-up piece to this one. I have no idea what is in store for me as a GM and gamer this coming decade. Right now the plan is to just keep running games, learning from my successes and more from my failures, and to pass some of that advice on to you all.

Thank you for letting me write this, somewhat indulgent, piece. I hope that it was at least entertaining and perhaps contained a few nuggets of wisdom. 

Feel free to share some of your memorable games from the decades above, or any lessons you have learned along the way. 

What makes my team work so well is that we each have defined roles and responsibilities that leverage each of our strengths and shores up our weaknesses. Suffice it to say, this requires that we have a good working relationship with each other. A part of this culture that makes it fun and functional is that we are all also gamers, e.g., D&D, board games, all sorts. We know the lingo, the humor, and the challenges.

How Assigning an RPG Archetype Applies to the Workplace: A Fun and Functional Perspective

Our entire workflow and culture has emerged into a living metaphor of a tabletop RPG gaming party. We’ve talked about how each of us fits into the archetype of tank, healer, or mage. Of course, some of us are hybrids, like Paladins, who are tanks and healers combined.

And, I wondered if this assignment of party “roles” has helped us realize when we need to act in a certain way, we know fairly quickly who should do that task. Should the tank start the presentation strong and forceful, and allow the healer to close with the softer tone of voice?

A Party Faces Challenges….and Overcomes

When there are challenges and problems in how we are functioning as a team, it is often true that we argue with each other. This degrades our ability to move as a single force toward that goal in front of us. We have “split the party”, which is a no-no in any gaming scenario.

It’s a neat observation that we can use our RPG gaming know-how to fix problems, meet challenges and overcome the surprising ghost who appears from nowhere. I’ll also say that there have been times when I’ve had to make a choice between two options.

Both outcomes are fairly good, such as deciding where to take our team to lunch with a visiting scientist. Of course, I don’t want to waste time on such an inconsequential decision (in the large scheme of things), so I take a d20 I have in my bag and roll it. Evens, odds, it decides where we go for food.

Quick Overview of Workplace Archetypes: Tank, Mage, Healer

First things first, what is an archetype?

Archetypes are inborn models of people, behaviors, or personalities that influence human behavior (source). Based on this definition, it makes sense that the people in our usual social circles would influence how we act, behave, and interact.

I’ve taken everything I know about RPG gaming and I mapped each archetype to what I feel best describes my work team members. For simplicity, I will obviously focus only on 3 archetypes: Tank, Mage, Healer.

Certainly, there’s a mixture of each of these archetypes in each individual, and sometimes when the situation arises, a person may need to take on the role of another’s archetype (i.e., when someone calls out sick, we need to adapt to take up the slack as it were).

So, now that we’ve laid out the archetypes (which you guys are already familiar with) how do they apply in the workplace?

1. The Tank

A tank is the person who blocks out everything to focus on one thing, be it work or playtime. I used to think this was an introvert’s game, but it turns out many extroverts like myself are also tanks (at least at work). Tanks generally go in headfirst into any situation. They are always up for the challenge, which makes them the leader in most cases.

The tank goes into the dark unknown places and usually helps setup the marching orders for a particular project. “Team, today we need to get these tasks done — I’ll start with this job, can you XYZ blast away at that bit over there?”

Look, let’s also get this out the way. Being a tank doesn’t mean being a bossy-pants, either. Tanks are just ready and willing to take a leadership role if a group or project needs direction.

2. The Healer

This archetype also requires a bit of explanation. A lot of people like to think of the healer as someone who is always there to pick up the pieces and make things better for everyone. Healers are problem solvers, but they take their time in getting there.

You’ll know when you have a healer on staff because they are not shy about voicing their opinion. They don’t mind sharing their insight either, but they won’t always force you to accept the direction they recommend.

Usually healers are very competent due to their deep understanding of how things work or should work. The healer is there to help everyone get back up after a fall — be it figuratively or literally. The tank NEEDS a healer to work well. The healer sees the big picture because they are swamped in the battle of working through a project.

Personality wise, a good healer is someone who isn’t afraid to speak up, but also knows how to do so tactfully. They aren’t poking the bear, trolling, or stirring up sentiment. They work through the personalities of others on the team to meet that goal. The healer has the mentality that “if we win, I win”.

3. The Mage

I find that this archetype is often (not always) the “type-A” personality — they get things done and they don’t care about how you do things, just as long as it gets the job done. Mages aren’t too delicate in their approach to doing business, but they are pretty efficient at getting the task at hand completed. Blam, nuke it ’till it’s dead.

A mage is highly specialized and knows how to get to the goal as soon as possible. Sometimes you want the mage to unleash their entire mana pool at the target because speed and efficiency are utmost. Of course the cost is often times a smoldering mess, which may include the mage’s drained state, e.g., stress and mental health.

It can often be the case that a mage will drive themselves so hard that the tank or healer have to slow them down. I love having a mage on my team because I can trust them to do their job in that particular area that we can control the project’s direction when it spreads too thin. A mage is crowd control and the key to winning the big fights. Divide and conquer.

On my team at work, we have several “mages” who are amazing at their specialized jobs. They are often toiling away at very niche tasks, but come together with their output to finalize a bigger project that is waaaaay better than the simple sum of its parts. I love watching mages work, while I’m slaying the tank-y things that may get in their way, e.g., paperwork, administrative red tape, getting the financial/material resources to feed the team.

What About All the Other Archetypes?

I absolutely skipped over the other RPG classes, didn’t I. Rangers, Bards, and all of the popular character classes are fit don’t they somehow into how we can think of this. But, if you think about it, most of the other classes are a mixture of the main 3 with some flair added in.

I might be touching a nerve with some of you by saying that, but simplicity makes it easier to think about how archetypes explain and help organize a team in a real workplace. Though, I’ve had this conversation with others in person, I would certainly enjoy learning what you think. Leave a comment below!

Does Alignment Matter at Work?

Good, evil, neutral alignments are predispositions to certain behaviors in characters. I think the same general principles apply to how a party operates when it comes to a workplace team environment. Of course, there are certain alignments for people on your team that should be avoided at all costs.

For example, I’m not sure chaotic evil people are the right kind of individuals you want around in real life at all….

To keep this article from going off in all sorts of directions — morality, ethical responsibilities are topics for another time — I will just say that oftentimes people have a chemistry that just “clicks”.

For those groups that don’t have that special chemistry, people will need to adapt to succeed. Splitting the party may happen by intention, on-purpose, or unintentionally. But, generally, division for long-periods of time when you’re trying to achieve specific goals is counter-productive.

For the party’s success (metaphorically this is also your workplace team environment), working together efficiently is more than just being good at your job. It’s also about how your personality, inclinations, and instincts work with others alongside you — and how your neighborly colleagues operate next to you as well.

Conclusion

Who are you in the workplace? Do you work in a team oriented environment? I will say that I love working with my team. When you have a good team, your workplace day to day atmosphere is so much more enjoyable. Sure, it’s not always roses and lavender, but when each person is someone you have a good relationship with, you know that you can execute certain strategies with confidence.

Oftentimes, when you roll for initiative, you don’t know what’s going to happen. But, knowing your class role will allow you to see where each person should go and act with less humming-and-hawing. I find the same is true when you work with a team with specific roles for each individual clearly defined.

Did you enjoy this article? I’m certainly just having fun with the idea of how RPG archetypes seem to overlay how a workplace team operates. This likely doesn’t hold true for everyone’s team, but maybe you’ve thought about it, too? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear what you think!

In this article, I will share some observations of the symptoms of a narcissistic player, brief ways to deal with this sort of player, and offer suggestions on how some players might be able to cope with such players. Tabletop gaming is supposed to be fun and it’s hard to enjoy yourself if you’re constantly dealing with toxic players with narcissist tendencies.

READ MORE: THE LINK BETWEEN CREATIVITY AND ANXIETY

What is a Narcissist?

NPD (narcissistic personality disorder) is a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and a lack of empathy that begins by early adulthood and presents in various situations; according to the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), to be diagnosed with NPD, symptoms must be present in multiple areas of the individual’s life and must cause clinically significant distress or impairment.

In a word, narcissism behavioral patterns exist on a scale where they may not pose any problem at all. However, for this article, we will discuss narcissism of a more severe level where it can contribute to a poor social gaming environment.

How Does Narcissism Exhibit Itself?

Narcissistic people are always looking for attention and admiration. The narcissist is obsessed with power; they want to be in charge of everything, and have little consideration for their peers’ feelings. Their actions are usually lacking in empathy and concern for others’ well-being.

If you observe closely, a narcissist may exhibit a strong sense of entitlement often coupled with feelings of arrogance, haughtiness, and self-centeredness. They feel that they should be able to do anything they want and get whatever they desire at any given time.

Narcissists are extremely invested in their personal image; they work hard to maintain artificial and shallow relationships with others to enhance their public image. In any given situation, they will attempt to use whatever means necessary to make themselves look good and rise above their peers; if they fail to do so, they may become highly agitated or even feel humiliated.

When a narcissist is insulted or threatened in some way, it has an immediate effect on them, as insults and confrontations threaten the narcissist’s sense of superiority and image. They deal with these threats by lashing out at others in an attempt to reestablish their position.

Quick Observations of Narcissism in the Tabletop Gaming Community

Do you notice certain players doing these things?

• Interrupt other players
• Speak over other players
• Try to get involved in every situation
• Talk about themselves excessively

In some cases, you may also find that a narcissist seem to have a certain following of people who want to make the narcissist feel good. It’s as though the narcissist has an entourage of “pleasers”.

I’ve heard the same stories over and over again. It seems like if you’re part of a narcissist’s story circle then you gain social currency, which means you get invited to more games or you can be more often cited as a credible source. A narcissist may say, “Well, this person was at that session and they agree with me.”

What to Do if You Encounter a Narcissist in the Tabletop Gaming Community

It’s important to remember that there are many different types of narcissists just as there are many different types of people in the gaming community.

You cannot let a narcissist ruin your fun in tabletop miniature gaming. The best way to deal with one is to ignore them and do not give them any power: minimize or stop communicating with them in any fashion, just like you would if someone were cyber-bullying you. Narcissists feed off of attention; the more you give them, the worse it gets.

If this person is in your gaming group or you are with them at an event, ignore everything they say. Leave if necessary – be prepared to pay the consequences for doing so, though. If you do not fight back against their behavior, they will realize they are getting no reaction out of you and eventually stop.

It’s also important to recognize that you cannot change a narcissist, nor should you attempt to do so. Like everyone else in the community, they are responsible for their own actions; that is why it can be difficult to hold them accountable (unless maybe if they’re misbehaving at an event).

If you do not get any reaction from the narcissist, they will quickly move on to a different target. It is important to understand that a narcissist does not want a real relationship with you — All a narcissist wants in an interaction is for them to feel good about themselves.

Conclusion

A narcissist is difficult to deal with in any setting, but it can be especially taxing if that person is in the tabletop gaming community. Remember that you are not alone – there are other rational gamers who have dealt with this behavior before.

If you feel as though you’re being affected by a gamer narcissist, seek out others within the table top gaming community for support. The best thing you can do is to ignore the narcissist, as their feelings of being the center of attention are dependent on your reaction.

I have to admit I don’t understand how people are drawn to this type of behavior; it seems like a lot of energy and time is put into admiring themselves. But if you do encounter someone who seems to be a narcissist, there are several steps you can take to minimize the negative impact on your gaming experience.

I hope this article has been helpful to you in identifying narcissists in your tabletop gaming community. Do you know any toxic bullies in your hobby gaming community? How do you deal with them? If you have any questions or comments for me about this article, ask away and I’ll reply as soon as I can.

Last Friday I waited in line with a queue of other masked travelers to pass through the metal detectors to enter the main Quantum Department of Transportation Terminal. QDOT recently opened their multidimensional transportation hub to the Convergence — a convergence of four other worlds from different dimensions, now accessible via earth. How the convergence happened and why is a mystery, but people are coming from near and far to experience it. Travel makes memories…hopefully you’ll get to keep them! At the very least, spend them on something good instead of losing them to the memory storms that sometimes sweep through the meeting of dimensions. 

The experience was awe inspiring and engaging beyond the actual hours that I spent there. I want to go back. There’s so much more to see and to discover — but let’s rewind.

I’d never heard of Meow Wolf before a few weeks ago, and definitely haven’t experienced any of their other installations. Commonly described as the merging of art with escape room, Meow Wolf is known for psychedelic modern installations, interactive puzzles, and compelling narratives. They revel in the weird, the just off kilter of what you expected, the spectacle, and the emotive. Walking into their newest installation in Denver is walking into four stories of another world — or four, really. You could walk through any of these spaces simply for the awe of such a massive artistic undertaking. Convergence Station displays the culminated work of 300 artists over three years. It’s hard to even scratch the surface in one day, and the work is inspiring, beautiful, strange, and evocative. 

Senda sitting it a giant mech trying to figure out how to align three suns that are out of frame

But the brilliant work here is that I’m not physically present at Convergence Station and I’m still engaged. I’m still wondering what some of the installations meant or trying to piece together how the puzzles and interactions work together. I’m thinking about where I need to go spend the most time on my next trip, because I didn’t explore the libraries below very thoroughly. And through it all, I am still engaged with the actions I took while I was there — I can go in and look at the memories I found, rewatch my completed pieces, and read up on some of the postings I was too sensorily overwhelmed to spend precious in person time reading before. I have new theories about a puzzle in the ice palace, for example. I’m caught up on the conspiracies that are being whispered about QDOT, and I’m wondering exactly how they were prepared to swoop in and profit off of this wild collision of spaces. In short, Meow Wolf has succeeded at making me do something we talk about a lot for our campaign spaces — how do you keep people involved in the game even when they’re not actively playing? And this is where they’ve used the gamification of my art browsing experience to create a lasting interactive piece that I can access any time I want to. 

And so, the million dollar question. “I can tell you’re obsessed with your Meow Wolf experience, but how do I implement this in my game to keep excitement high between sessions, Senda?” The answer is in maintaining a connection to the game itself even when you aren’t at the table. I love being able to engage on my own time, even when everyone else can’t play — the same way that I’m thrilled to be able to reconnect with my Meow Wolf experience even though I’m not there. Often times when you’re not at the table anymore these become individual activities, but they can still be shared back to the group and feed the loop of excitement for everyone. Here are some of my favorites:

• Playlists: Create playlists that enforce the vibe of the game, the relationship of characters, or just a snapshot of a particular character. Using a platform like Spotify means you can share them with the rest of your group! I love shared game playlists. 
• Self directed play/Journaling: Sometimes this means journaling the things that happened in the game from your character’s perspective, and sometimes it means just journaling as your character in flashbacks etc. Just remember that if you play in the spaces around your table time, nothing is real until it’s been stated during game time!
• Letters: Write letters in character to another character or NPC. After a particularly intense game/PC loss, the player of that character wrote letters to all the other characters as if they had been dug up post mortem. It was beautiful, emotional, and completely swept us all back into the game even though we were actually done with that campaign. 
• Art: If you are artistically inclined, doodling parts of the characters, setting, etc. is a fantastic way to keep thinking about and feeling energized and inspired by the game you’re playing. 
• Shared Continued Story: By text, email, or chat, play the down times between the spikes of intensity that happen during your in person time. Have your fireside chats on a discord channel. Figure out how you share cooking duties. Who’s turn is it to clean the van this time? You can advance in character relationships while not manipulating the plot. 

The uniquley shaped four story Meow Wolf building is nestled between to raised highways.

Why would I want to do this? It sounds like it could take a lot of time and effort. Well sure! But as a GM, if you can get your players engaging outside the game, the excitement is going to stay high for every time you sit down at the table. As a player, you will be into the game even if you’re having a low energy day. If keeping the energy going isn’t a spoon giving activity for you, that’s fine too — one of the great things about many of the suggestions above is that most of them can be done alone, so each person can opt in or out on how much time and commitment they have for extra curricular engagement. 

We can learn so much about how we engage with table top games from many other sources — whether it’s a trip to Meow Wolf or the way a particular app game keeps you coming back for more. How do you make the little dopamine hits? How do you make sure that you/your players stay hooked into your story and that need to find out the end? Have you ever implemented anything that kept the game going even outside your game time? What worked out, or what didn’t?

content warning: harassment, sexual misconduct. reader discretion is advised

Arcadum, or Jeremy Black as many know him, has recently come under fire as more than thirteen public-facing women have come out with allegations of misconduct. From manipulation between supposed friends, sexual harassment towards women he supported financially, to outright cheating on his significant other, Arcadum’s situation has been a mess. There are a handful of videos on YouTube covering it, from Destiny to yours truly, so you can get all the information you want from there.

Even more recently, Arcadum has released a statement confirming this situation as one where he had broken the trust and betrayed the friendships of these relationships.

With his apology, thus ends his chapter.

So what’s next?

In this piece, I aim to analyze the current situation of Tabletop RPGs and streaming and speculate on future projections of the trajectory of the community.

The main issue with any major Dungeons & Dragons / Tabletop RPG streamer being shut down is that it casts a shadow over the entire community as a whole. Any other streamer typically flits between games so if they get taken down, it only looks bad at themselves. However, prior to the advent of Critical Role, Dungeons & Dragons has always been associated with the most negative elements of nerd culture: elitism, gatekeeping, sexism, and asocial behaviors (despite its inherently communal nature). From Dungeon Masters railroading the campaign and forcing players into situations they have no input on, to forcing uncomfortable sexual behaviors onto the players or even controlling the Player Characters in character breaking ways when absent, the history of the DM-Player hierarchy of Dungeons & Dragons has been riddled with horror stories through the decades.

This has led to many people, both among content creators and the general public, avoiding the game entirely.

More than a handful of streamers have indicated within the last year that “TTRPGs seem fun but I don’t wanna get into a game with creeps and weirdos.” This showcases that despite the vast improvements Critical Role and Arcadum have made to highlight the positive elements of Dungeons & Dragons, it has only started to shake the rusty stigma surrounding the blade.

Arcadum, in his rise, had led a community stating “D&D is for everyone,” highlighting that women’s voices have been overshadowed and they should be featured just as well as men have. Despite the truth of that statement, Arcadum’s interest seems conflicted. Moderators and other important members of his community have pointed out that he has a tendency to overshadow male players in favor of placing female players. The latest chapter of the main story of his game which had previously been occupied by important players of the past was notably given to female players with no experience or tie-ins to the game. This seems to align with recent allegations and this suggests that he placed these women in these positions in order to garner favor with them, painting a darker shade to his intentions.

—The Foreboding Future—

Arcadum’s actions, despite his public-facing intentions of making “D&D for everyone,” have impacted the game in a negative manner, casting a cloud of doubt on Gamemasters that rise to prominence in the community. A certain situation involving Adam Koebel comes to mind. Both situations involved highly influential streamers, both loud feminists that have angrily called out sexism in social media, and both were involved in the misuse of power over female players.

With 250k followers on Twitch and 93k subscribers on YouTube, Arcadum’s influence and subsequent fall are not unfelt. As he commonly reached out to major streamers (from AdmiralBahroo, Lilypichu, Disguised Toast, Ironmouse, and many more) for games, he had potentially introduced D&D to millions of prospective players.

Is it possible that this dark narrative can cast Dungeons & Dragons into the darkness, the corners of nerd-dom where no one fears to tread? Are we doomed to be shunned back into our basements, running dice under poorly lit tables and arguing about Rules-As-Written vs Rules-As-Intended?

Not a chance.

It’s unlikely because, despite the hiccup here and there, the major influence of Critical Role and other more positive creators still shine enough of a good light on the rest of us. However, being the 2nd most subscribed D&D streamer (having topped 15,000 subscribers on Twitch) is no joke. It is most certainly a major step backward for the community and mainstream acceptance, placing many prospective players and creators on the defensive.

Dungeon Masters worldwide — at least those with players aware of Arcadum — will have to effectively prove themselves all over again, even if they or their players had never even witnessed an Arcadum stream. This sort of thing presses forward into the mainstream and the wide umbrella of hobbyists will have to take the flak in fallout. This, in many ways, is somehow even worse than the Adam Koebel situation as it points to a systematic observation of Dungeon Masters, their perceived ego, and flagrant misuse of power. Any trawler of the r/RPGhorrorstories subreddit will tell you that there is often a weird correlation between Gamemasters and ego. And, unlike Adam K., Arcadum had a major influence across major streamers and many communities past the centralized tabletop RPG scene.

I believe Tabletop RPGs will always have a niche market, with Dungeons & Dragons primarily leading the charge into the mainstream. Prominent creators will eventually arise and bring attention to it, but likely not to the massive success certain games have with far less history behind them — games such as Among Us comes to mind. This works as a dual-edged blade: those seeking a game with a rich history in its creation and in fandom will find Tabletop RPGs to be perfect for them. Yet at the same time, this history will always hold its progression back. From decades of racist caricature that’s only been recently retconned as non-canon and outdated, to a history of Dungeon Masters taking advantage of players, to toxic players ruining the game for everyone, we will always be struggling to shrug off our tainted history. Hopefully, as the hobby expands into the mainstream, more players will come in and that history will long be left forgotten… At least until the next prolific Dungeon Master lets power get to their head on stream.

—Final Thoughts—

Tabletop RPGs are still a niche hobby, regardless of their (mostly 5e) surge into the mainstream. Every single major mover and shaker is a pioneer in this budding environment. A power vacuum has erupted from where Arcadum plotted his castle and the next big D&D streamer is going to rise in their place. Assuming there even will be one. Let’s just hope that the next figurehead has better intentions.

Until then, the Dungeons & Dragons category is still a fairly popular Twitch category (at least compared to the more accurate but woefully underpopulated Tabletop RPGs category — honestly it’s far more effective to stream non-D&D TRPGs but use the tag anyways than it would be to use the more general tag but this is an ENTIRE rant on its own…) just waiting for those to populate it. From prep streams to AMAs (ask me anything), to Season 2 Episode 15 of some group’s campaign, you’ll hopefully find a new favorite to watch. One far less likely to be run by a creep.

Hopefully, that favorite is me (psst it’s twitch.tv/dicequeendi).

Signing off,

— Di.

In this article, I discuss some of the pros and cons of allowing your players to use their cellphones, smartphones, or whatever devices they have at the gaming table. I’m sure this topic has been discussed ad nauseum, but I hope to bring a balanced perspective about this issue in tabletop RPG etiquette.

1. What etiquette should be followed at the tabletop RPG gaming table

No one should play a tabletop RPG game without following some agreed upon etiquette (or common acceptable rules of behavior). In regards to the topic of cell phone use, before any campaign, you may want to ask your group if it is alright to pick up your phone and use it.

Maybe your group is more lax, and this entire issue is moot. But, like in a movie theater, it could be rude to be on your phone while playing an RPG. This is especially true, if you’re actually carrying a separate speaking conversation!

Yes, of course, it’s different if you’re taking notes on the cloud or something, or checking the stats of some NPC mob. But, just in general it may not be considered proper to do so.

Here’s another point. If the DM has a set etiquette policy about phones, it might be worth stating that pestering other players asking to use your phone to check messages or social media may also be rude. Overall, the good DM should read the room and should have a set etiquette policy, if needed, and all the players should follow this policy. This, of course, gets to my next point.

2. Should the DM be responsible for setting the table etiquette?

Many people might say that etiquette while playing tabletop RPG games should be regulated by the dungeon master (DM). However, this idea does not have universal support from all players of RPGs.

Some believe it would take too much time and effort on behalf of the DM. Others believe that etiquette while playing tabletop RPG games should be regulated by a set universal policy, which can be easily enforced and followed by all players in general. A communal policy, as it were.

At the end of the day, a DM might not want to regulate cell phone use for many reasons. It could take up too much time and effort on their part as well as being an unpleasant duty. They may not want to do it because they think etiquette should be regulated by a broad, common-sense agreement that can be easily enforced and followed by all players in general.

It comes down to whether your gaming group is mature enough to allow the DM to focus on the most important job at hand, which is to run the campaign and create an engaging narrative for everyone to enjoy.

RELATED: HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL VILLAINOUS CAMPAIGN

3. Pros and cons of allowing players to use their phones during gameplay

Since we’re talking about etiquette specifically as it relates to smartphone or cellphone use during tabletop RPG (TTRPG) gameplay, there are many benefits to letting players use their phones during gameplay, but there are also drawbacks.

Here are a few pros and cons of allowing players (including the DM) to use their phones during a campaign gaming session:

Advantages:

• One potential advantage is that it will encourage more involved play for those who might be shy or less confident in their skills, because they can privately look up rules and stats on a phone during downtime instead of feeling like they have to completely rely on the DM (dungeon master) for those answers.
• The DM can also use a phone to look up information or answer questions while the game is paused, which would help them be more prepared and knowledgeable during gameplay sessions.
• Another advantage of allowing cell phone use during an RPG game is that players can use their phones to take notes and write down new ideas for characters or quests while they’re playing. That way, when the game session is over, it’s easy to review what’s been discussed during gameplay in order to make decisions about future game sessions.
• For notetaking, the smartphone is superior to pen and paper because it has that capacity to keep everything organized and at your fingertips.
• Cellphones can be used as a timer for combat rounds, which is especially helpful when you’re playing with kids who may not have good time management skills.

Disadvantages:

• Players can be distracted by their phones, leading them to get involved in a different conversation or having an argument with someone who’s not present. This is distracting for the DM and other players at the table because they’re interrupting game flow when they should be focusing on what’s happening
• A common potential issue of allowing players to use their phones in tabletop RPGs could be that it takes away from the social experience: you’re no longer talking with other members of the group, instead you are texting or doing something else on your phone.
• Another potential drawback is that it might be more difficult to monitor what players are doing on their phones while they should be focused solely on gameplay; for example, someone could easily look up spoilers online and ruin the experience for themselves and other players.
• The DM could also be unfairly biased towards some players, who might have more experience with the game because they’ve done their homework in advance by looking up information on a phone during downtime; this would provide an unfair advantage to those particular players and take away from the social aspect of tabletop RPGs.

4. Etiquette tips for tabletop RPGs when it comes to smartphone use

Dungeon masters and players may have to determine who is in charge of what is proper behavior at a gaming table. If a DM is unwilling or unable to focus on maintaining “order” at the gaming table, they have three basic choices: 1) delegate these etiquette concerns to other players, 2) ignore the issue and try to keep going with the campaign as best as possible, or 3) enforce the issue with penalties. There are other ways to handle poor behavior, too. But, without digressing into how each DM may handle their specific and unique gaming group, here are some basic etiquette tips and principles I apply in my RPG games, i.e., DnD:

• Set a firm time limit on how long someone can check their phone. For example, I allow my players 10 minutes of checking their smartphones every two hours during gameplay. This is in addition to bathroom breaks and stretch breaks.
• If someone needs to use their phone while at the table, allow them ample time to do so without disrupting gameplay. Once they’re finished, I allow them to resume play.
• If someone is using their phone at the table and it disrupts gameplay, give them a warning before any penalties are imposed.
• If someone is using their phone and continues disrupting gameplay, they will be given a verbal warning first. Then if it persists, the player will either lose an earned character slot or have to stop playing for the night (this usually only happens when alcohol consumption has been involved).
• When setting aside time in advance for break periods, also set aside time for “bathroom breaks” and “stretch break.”
• If someone is using their wifi, make sure the password is not given out to other players.
• When in doubt about etiquette rules, err on the side of caution. Ask everyone what they think about particular house-rules about what they expect of playing their game.

5. Tips on how not to be that player who is always checking their phone during gameplay

You should ask before using a mobile device at the table, if this isn’t clear at the beginning of a campaign. If you pick up your phone during gameplay, especially at an inopportune time like when the DM is describing a room, telling a story, or (worse) while they are roleplaying an NPC, you should try and apologize. Additionally, consider what playing with a device in hand could mean to the rest of the party. It might interrupt your gaming ally’s train of thought or impact their ability to make a crucial decision.

Other tips that may help you from being that player with the phone out all the time, is to have a designated place nearby where you can store your phone out of sight. You can keep notifications set to “do not disturb” mode, and while using your device, keep the screen brightness down unless absolutely necessary. Finally, you can put your phone on airplane mode during games to reduce your temptation for checking messages, etc.

Of course, after all these tips, it will be your personal responsibility to “read the room” to know whether it is good or bad form to operate your phone during a tabletop gaming session. I’m certain that you’ll know one way or another whether you feel comfortable operating your smartphone when playing a game.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, etiquette in tabletop RPGs is a topic that will likely come up at some point. Whether you’re the DM or player of an RPG campaign, it’s important to establish what rules are acceptable and how best to handle any violations without disrupting gameplay for other players.

There may be times when etiquette matters takes precedence over game-play but this should only happen if all parties agree. Otherwise, err on the side of caution by following these tips: 1) Set ground rules about cellphone use before starting your gaming session, 2) Give adequate time for using phone during play, and 3) if someone is violating etiquette with their cell phone usage (e.g., not obeying 10 minute rule), give them a warning first before taking more concrete actions.

Is it polite or rude when gamers check their smartphone while playing DnD or other roleplaying games? Should the dungeon master (DM) regulate the use of smartphones at a gaming table? Let us know what you think with a comment!

In this article, I share my personal experience using a Wyrmwood Tabletop Dice Tray I purchased at a local gaming convention. My dice tray cost a pretty penny (around $150 at a convention discount). Yes, it’s only a dice tray, but there was a compelling reason to get one. I’m sure you all have a feeling of why. But, here’s what I think and perhaps why you may want to consider one of these dice rolling accessories for your gaming.

Wyrmwood Dice Trays are expensive, but beautiful works of “functional art”

Summary (TL;DR)

The Wyrmwood Dice Tray is a beautiful dice tray that has been crafted with an awesome design. Wyrmwood is a company that creates high-end gaming accessories, and this certainly shows in the Wyrmwood Dice Tray. These are some of the features you can expect to find:

• The Wyrmwood dice tray has been made from handcrafted wood
• It can be used as a rolling surface for all types of games
• There’s also plenty of room for other items like cards and miniatures
• Fancy dice trays make great gifts that every tabletop gamer can appreciate

RELATED: OTHER GREAT (AFFORDABLE) DICE TRAYS FOR EVERY TABLETOP GAMER

Why Do You Need a Dice Tray?

“Roll for initiative!” The Dungeon Master bellowed, and I swiftly scooped up my D20 from the table.

“No way,” my friend, Matt said as he shuffled his character sheet. “It’s rigged.” The others in my gaming group nodded in agreement as they sat around our makeshift gaming table.

Rolling my eyes at their naivety, I struggled to keep a straight face. I pulled the Wyrmwood dice tray from my bag and placed on the table.

“Oh, let’s try it!,” Matt yells. He’s the first to throw his D20…on my dice tray!

I’ve used my Bolivian Rosewood Dice Tray for years in countless games, e.g., RPGs, Boardgames, and Tabletop Miniature Wargaming such as Warhammer 40k.

A lot of gamers find dice trays to be a necessity, but not everybody agrees. Dice can roll all over the table causing a mess. Big, metal dice can knock over miniatures and ruin a nicely setup table. Dice can roll into beverage cups, knocking them over, or into bags of chips. Indeed, my group plays rough! Several dice tray companies have come out with different types of designs, so there are pros and cons for each dice tray. Wyrmwood has made many different woodworking items that look great and the classic tabletop dice tray is one of them.

I ended up buying one of the Wyrmwood dice trays at a convention I attended. It happened to be a beautiful Bolivian Rosewood dice tray with a leather rolling surface. It wasn’t cheap. In fact, it’s stupid expensive for what it was–a dice tray that cost me over $150. I think they cost even more nowadays. But, I still have mine and love it to death.

A big D20 is ready for battle.

What is a Wyrmwood Dice Tray?

Wyrmwood dice trays come in two different shapes and sizes: a tabletop size and personal sized tray (which is the smaller one I don’t have). There is some custom options, which I won’t get into, but you can see on the Wyrmwood website. Wyrmwood even offers the option for a Wyrmwood Dice Tray + a Wyrmwood dice tower, a great combo. In any case, Wyrmwood has many different gaming accessory options to choose from.

More than a dice tray, I use mine to keep other gaming accessories organized on the gaming tabletop.

I’ve followed Wyrmwood since their days on Etsy and then their multiple (and successful) campaigns on Kickstarter. If I were to chime in on their company talking points, I’d say that the  Wyrmwood Dice Trays are handcrafted by artisans with extra care given to every detail. I’m not 100% sure this is true, but in my experience with my tray and the others I’ve seen in person seem to prove it. Wyrmwood dice trays are made out of solid wood, and have a beautiful finish that has been durable in the years I’ve had mine. I recall being instructed to condition the leather on my dice tray to keep it from drying out and cracking. But, the wood and leather on my dice tray has lasted a long time without any maintenance (more than 5 years so far!).

Here’s Some Useful Info About Wyrmwood Dice Trays

Wyrmwood dice trays are precision cut with a full-length divider for organization of your stuff, e.g., dice, whatever. They’re laser engraved with the Wyrmwood logo, and hand sanded to provide a nice look and feel. Some gamers will use Wyrmwood Dice Trays for keeping their gaming supplies organized in a travel bag, too. They are also fairly compact and fit on any playing surface.

Wyrmwood Tabletop Dice Trays come in a handsome size (10.6″ x 8.6″ x 1.4″).

Wyrmwood Dice Trays come in 8 (or more) different species of wood that range from common (Cherry wood) to exotic (Macassar Ebony). The trays also have real authentic leather rolling surfaces, which feel soft and supple to the touch. Dice roll with a satisfying thump, with a subtle undertone “clunk” sound (depending on the weight of your dice, e.g., metal vs resin dice, and the density of the wood you’ve chosen). They just feel so good to use.

Quick Pros and Cons about Wyrmwood Tabletop Dice Trays

Pros:

• Durable Wyrmwood material that doesn’t warp in heat or absorb moisture
• The Wyrmwood Dice Tray has an aesthetic appeal to it
• The Wyrmwood Dice Tray has a one inch lip to catch dice on all sides

Cons:

• Might be too bulky for smaller tables
• Could require upkeep (e.g., leather can dry out)
• Expensive (very)

What Made Me Buy a Wyrmwood Dice Tray?

They are beautiful. Yup, that’s about it. It’s expensive, but I wanted something unique. Certainly I could have opted for a custom personal dice tray (which you can see some custom dice tray examples of here).

On my rosewood dice tray, polyhedrals and d6 dice roll easily and often clack against the side walls. Every gaming choice I make is reinforced with a tactile and audible experience. There’s just something about that….extra.

The tray has a storage compartment on the side that acts like a “margin” where you can keep your other gaming accessories. Perhaps your dice and tokens go there, or your pens for your character sheet. Pretty much anything you want can go in a Wyrmwood Dice Tray. I’ve even used a it to hold a hot coffee mug (when my host couldn’t find a suitable coaster).

I painted this miniature for a Pathfinder Campaign!

My Final Opinion: Are Wyrmwood Dice Trays Worth It?

When this tray is so expensive and any old cigar box or wooden board would do just as well, I can’t imagine why anyone would buy it. No, seriously. Then, I take mine out and use it while gaming, and I’m reminded how cool it is to just have one!

You might think buying a dice tray is akin to buying furniture or simple kitchen appliances. While you may get some super nice tables out there, they are functionally the same, as long as it isn’t crappy enough to fall apart. If you are just looking for a functional product, then there is not much difference to justify a Wyrmwood dice tray. However, if you really like the aesthetic of their products or think that one of their trays might be a special item you keep as a reminder for those good times at the gaming session, then Wyrmwood dice trays are about enhancing that experience.

Honestly, only you can answer this question of “value”, as it is dependent on your personal opinion. If they look really cool and you have the means to get one, I would recommend buying a Wyrmwood tray for yourself. It really just comes down to what your priorities are. For anywhere from $5-40, you can find tons of other dice tray options.

Oh, look! All my dice stay in one place.

Conclusion

The Wyrmwood Dice Tray is a beautiful product with a minimalist design. It’s crafted by a company that creates high-end gaming accessories, and this shows in my experience with the tabletop dice tray. Wyrmwood trays accentuate your games by providing a place where you can store your dice apart from the table so it doesn’t get lost during gameplay – as well as making rolling dice more enjoyable through a tactile and audible experience (a tad corny, but it’s a real thing!). Suffice it to say, I love mine.

Of course, like any gaming accessory, there will be people who love them and those who don’t. Wyrmwood dice trays are worth it for the experiential component of using one. But, there may be cheaper options on the market that can do what a fancy Wyrmwood dice tray does at a lower cost. Ultimately, there will be people who like Wyrmwood dice trays and those who don’t.

Do you have a Wyrmwood Dice Tray? Do you think they are worth the expense? Let me know below!