Gamemastering Secrets

Grey Ghost Press, Inc.

Origins Award Winner! Gamemastering Secrets, 2nd Edition, won the Origins Award in the "Best Game Aid or Accessory" category!

• What's New

• About This

• Introduction: So You're a Gamemaster

• Product Info: Gamemastering Secrets, 2nd Edition (Now Available!)

  • Retailer Locator: find GM Secrets and other Grey Ghost products.

• Articles and Tips

• Bookshelf

• GM's Web: web links for Gamemasters

• The gm-list mailing list: an e-mail list for GMs.

This Can Be Your Site, Too!

Tell us what you'd like to see on gmsecrets.com! If you have gamemastering secrets of your own you'd like to share, we'll host them here! Just send email to webmaster@gmsecrets.com with suggestions for the site, links to add to the GMsWeb page, recommended reading to add to the Bookshelf, or your own submissions for the Articles pages! We're looking at adding messaging and chat capabilities, let us know if you'd like to see those here!

About This

Gamemastering Secrets, Second Edition, By Aaron Rosenberg, is a book published in August 2002 by Grey Ghost Press, Inc., the publishers of Fudge Expanded Edition and other roleplaying games. This site is the support site for that book. It is hoped that in time, this site will grow to be an online extension of the book: a community destination site full of resources for GMs, and which will archive articles of GM advice and tips written by GMs across the world.

Excerpt from Gamemastering Secrets: Introduction

So you're a Gamemaster.

Great!

Being a Gamemaster (or GM) is very exciting-- you're at the heart of everything. You decide what game to play, where to set the story, what story to run, and what characters are involved-- you set the stage for the adventure, and handle the running of it. You are the default storyteller-- when the characters are not actively taking control, you dictate events, and you handle all other characters. It's a heady feeling, to know that you are in charge.

It's also a heavy responsibility. Players can just show up for the game, with their character sheets and their dice, and be ready to play. You've got prep work to do - events to plan, areas to map, characters to create and develop. And, while each player only has to worry about his or her personal character, you have to keep an eye on everyone and everything - you are responsible for all of it, and you cannot let a single event slip by.

Feel like you need help? Well, you're in luck.

This book, Gamemastering Secrets, is all about GMing games. In it, I and my guest essayists will talk about every aspect of creating and running a game. We'll give you tips on how to handle situations, pointers on potential dangers and how to avoid them, and general information on how to get the best gaming experience for everyone involved. These are things you won't share with your players-- they are trade secrets, after all-- but they'll feel the effects, and they'll be amazed and thrilled at how well your games are run, and how much fun you all have during the games. Some of the sections you'll only need to ready once-- others you'll probably refer back to on a regular basis, to refresh your memory and to answer any new questions you might have. Can we answer everything, cover every situation? Probably not, but we will give you a solid base to work from. If you've never GMed before, we'll teach you how to go about it, where to start and how to proceed, and enough tricks to convince anyone that you're a veteran. If you are an experienced GM, we'll give you a few new tricks, ways to keep your players on their toes, and ways to spice up your games a bit.

Ready to learn a few secrets, and improve your skills? Well, read on and remember-- it's all about the game.

-- Aaron Rosenberg