How To Be a Better GM – Most Helpful Game Master Blogs

When I was starting to run RPG as GM back in the high-school, I was pretty much on my own to figure things out. All I’ve had was a few stories from an old buddy and a couple of friends eager to try playing. Now, we, the Game Masters, have a great comfort of having tons of blogs, vlogs, forums, and groups about GMing and running RPGs, as well as actual play podcasts and streams. Today I’d like to hint at a few people that I refer to most often when looking for a solution to a particular problem. They help me greatly when I want to be a better GM.

The list below contains 5 blogs that I read most, in alphabetical order. Each of them has a bit different scope and focus but are great reads and sources all the same. I deliberately chose only blogs in a traditional form as the vlogs or actual plays are a bit different pair of shoes. I also link here some of my favorite articles of each author to give you something to read immediately. So, let me introduce you to these wonderful people if you haven’t been already.

A very straightforward type, as you could see from the first look. But there’s more to Angry than just a catchy attitude. I love to read his thorough reflections. Though he writes in a rather offensive style, just underneath it, he seems to be a very bright intellectual. If you, like me, enjoy an excellent theoretical consideration with a philosophical inclination, then you’ll love reading Angry GM no matter the topic.

For me, the most revealing and helpful was the series on Starting and Planning Your Own Campaign. But if you’d like to hear what’s the best of the best here, I’ll point you to The Italian Campaign post, which is a masterpiece in both form and, especially, the brilliant idea behind it. Be warned, though, as the Angry GM doesn’t f$&% around.

FrDave, as the next author calls himself, is a fascinating person to read for a lot of reasons. But for the sake of keeping things focused, I’ll only speak of one here — the cycle on Prepping a Sandbox Campaign. If you’d like to delve into running one better as a GM seriously, that’s probably the best thing you may find on the Internet. And the opening post of the series, Beginnings (My Greyhawk Campaign), is a fantastic insight into another Game Master’s creative thought process, which, I think, is one of the most helpful things for being a better GM myself.

There are tons of posts on the Blood of Prokopius, each of them very interesting – a bit in a theoretical manner I’ve written in the previous paragraph. You may find FrDave’s style a bit old-school, but that also runs very well with his theme of OSR.

If you’re like me, a bit of a productivity freak, this is the place for you. Creighton Broadhurst, at his blog, brilliantly weaves these two things together. If you’re also into homebrewing your own adventures, campaigns, and even games, there is plenty of advice too. Not to mention a store where you may search for an add-on to spice your campaign up.

For people new to the field of productivity tools – which can help a lot in a quest of being a better GM – the article on How to Use Evernote to Help Run Your Session is invaluable. No matter if you’ll actually end up using the said app or not – give this post a thought and try to adapt its message. You may feel creativity on the GM’s side is a process eluding rigorous rational analysis. But having things around it well organized does help do it better. And if you’re – like almost every GM in the world – too busy to do everything you’d like to, then do yourself a favor and read Three-Tier Design for the Busy GM.

I don’t GMDungeons and Dragons. Actually, not at all for quite some time now. I’ve run a 5e Adventures in Middle-earth campaign that used fifth’s edition engine, but that’s it. I don’t even use – even in AiME games – a battle mat or any grid-thing. But I enjoy reading DM Dave’s brief Facebook posts about D&D and tactical combat – a lot. Why? And how does it help me be a better Game Master?

Although focused on 5e D&D combat, DM Dave’s tips and advice are somewhat universal. The forms of very to-the-point bullet points are convenient. What’s more, he shows the monsters and other adversaries from an interesting perspective. It helps the GM better understand the characters they should role-play. Thanks to his advice, I saw how to bring to life and flesh out even the puniest of opponents. Not to mention that sometimes many abilities in the adversaries’ descriptions could be easily overlooked – but not with Dave’s help. Then, you’ll learn how to make them challenging and exciting, adding diversity and depth to your sessions. His post on Goblin tactics is one of my favorites. And the recent one on Crocodile’s and Ape’s attacks are excellent showcases on how to make easily-looking creatures a significant threat.

They – the Gnomes as they call themselves – are a very helpful bunch. OK, that’s a bit of an understatement. They’re a literal mine of knowledge, inspiration, and valuable tips. It’s hard to tell what exactly may help you be a better GM. And that’s what I like the most about the Gnome Stew – their variety in form and content.

Name just one most meaningful article from among all that was impossible for me. Not that two feels more representative but let’s leave it at that for the sake of equality among this post’s cast. So, there’s a very inspirational and out-of-the-box article with simple Tips For Starting Prep for practical considerations. You should try those and see how these could help you GM better. Secondly, there is one significant article for me about drawing the line in horror games. I have run Call of Cthulhu a lot lately, and it’s a vital point in this game. If you like to introduce some deep emotions in the game you run, that’s a must-read.

And who does help you be a better GM?

All of the above are my personal favorites. I also follow a healthy number of creators on my native, Polish scene, but I guess, that wouldn’t be of much help for most of you. But I’m always on the lookout for a new source of inspiration and learning. Please, leave a comment with the name of an author or a page you like to read and follow. Be it a blog, a YouTube channel, podcast, or a Facebook profile, I hope this list grows.