GM Guides & Session Prep

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Board Games, Books & Beyond · RPG field guides

Prepare a session your group can act on. Find practical guides for first adventures, horror mysteries, character choices, downtime, and useful table equipment.

Prepare the next session

Start with expectations, a manageable premise, and clues players can use.

A wary adventuring party before ancient forest ruins — official Symbaroum illustrationSession Zero Checklist: A 45-Minute Plan for Your Next RPG CampaignAgree on expectations, boundaries, characters, and practical plans.Two adventurers surveying mist-covered ruins — official Symbaroum illustrationHow to Choose Your First D&D AdventureChoose an opening adventure that fits your schedule and table.An ominous gothic stronghold — official Ravenloft illustration by Bastien GrivetHow to Run a Halloween TTRPG One-Shot Without OverpreparingPrepare one contained evening with several possible resolutions.A many-eyed horror emerging from darkness — official Ravenloft illustration by Helge C. BalzerHow to Build a Horror RPG Mystery Your Players Can Actually SolveBuild clues, escalation, and conclusions players can act on.

Make choices and consequences matter

Give mechanics, promises, danger, and quiet scenes a clear role.

Agent of the Ninth QuillWhen RPG Rules Shape Story — Follow the Choices a Mechanic RewardsFollow the behaviors a game rewards.A dwarf fighter running through a barrage of arrows.Narrative Combat in RPGs — Give the Fight an Emotional ObjectiveGive a fight stakes beyond removing hit points.Getting into (and out of) the Domains of DreadRPGs Built Around Loss — Distinguish Doom from a Difficult ChanceCompare tragic endings with dangerous chances of survival.Tasha inspects a potion as a vile cauldron bubbles before her.Dangerous Magic in RPGs — Three Different Ways Power Can Cost YouMake magical power carry a meaningful kind of cost.A red dragonborn paladin wreathed in fire and light strides into battle.Character Oaths in TTRPGs — Make a Promise the Table Can TestGive a character’s promise an actionable test.Goblins rough housing at dinner, to the chef's chagrin.Downtime in TTRPGs — Give the Quiet Scenes a Reason to MatterGive recovery, relationships, and projects room between adventures.Beyond the GridKeep zones, movement, and fictional positions clear.Romantasy in D&DBuild bonds and dragonrider-inspired adventures around player choices.

Tools, preparation support & useful gifts

Choose equipment and support that solve a problem at your table.

Two students study a piece of parchment covered in ruins.AI at the RPG Table: Helpful Preparation, Shared DecisionsUse preparation tools with shared table expectations.Chessex reversible battlemat — official product coverRPG Accessories: Buy What Makes the Table EasierBuy equipment that solves an existing table problem.Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master — product cover12 Best Gifts for Dungeon Masters Who Do All the WorkChoose a gift that removes a recurring preparation annoyance.Chessex Pound-O-Dice — product cover12 Best Gifts for TTRPG Players, Dungeon Masters, and Dice GoblinsCompare dice, storage, maps, and practical table tools.

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