CHAINMAIL: 02.17.2023
Including - Don't Prep Plots, On Worldbuilding: World Histories, and Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering.
Don't Prep Plots - The Alexandrian
Every DM needs to read this article. That is bold because I want it to be absolutely clear. Read this article. It is an amazing breakdown of how you should be approaching your adventure design in order to fully utilize what makes TTRPGs unique.
Just read it. And then read it again.
History is complicated. Thank god we have people like Tim Hickson to help us understand how to tackle this complicated subject matter. He breaks down two approaches to worldbuilding history: Taking a "world first, story second" approach or taking a "story first, world second" approach. Check it out. Learn some stuff.
Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering
I submit to you that the most important, yet most often forgotten, rule of good GMing is this: Roleplaying games are entertainment; your goal as GM is to make your games as entertaining as possible for all participants.
An oldie but a goodie. Robin Laws is an experienced game designer and he hits on an unfortunately overlooked part of TTRPGs that some DMs forget. It's a game! If your players are not enjoying the game, then no matter what you think is the right way to do things, it's not working. Of course, "enjoyment" and "entertaining" are subjective and every table will tackle this concept in different ways, but don't ignore your players' enjoyment in favor of your own idea of the "right way to play". And of course, the DM is also a "player" but you get the gist.
I hope these resources inspire you! See you next week.