Tag Archives: runningtheworldmachine

The Best Cons Require a Team

Posted on April 25, 2019 by Ian

All the best cons require a team. I mean, just look at Leverage. No one of the characters could have pulled off the heists they did without help from the others. Same with Ocean’s 11 and its sequels, and Ocean’s … Continue reading →

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Dirty Dungeons

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Ian

I’ve spent a good chunk of the last two days down in a crawlspace underneath a house we’re working on, installing seismic upgrades. Which are steel plates attached to important joints in a house’s construction to stop it from shifting/shearing/falling … Continue reading →

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Running the World-Machine: Little Touches: Making Memorable NPCs

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Ian

On this week’s Running the World-Machine, we talk about how to take your non-player characters and turn them from forgettable nobodies into characters your PCs will remember long after the game is done.

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Running the World-Machine: Preparing for a Session

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Ian

This week on Running the World-Machine, we talk about preparing for a gaming session. How much time you should prepare for, what kind of encounters to use, and more! (Also, sorry this one was a little late and that last … Continue reading →

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Running the World-Machine: Dangerous Terrain

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Ian

Why does the enemy always have to be some creature with pointy bits coming at your throat?  In this installment of Running the World-Machine, I discuss environmental challenges in RPGs. (Ed note — Sorry this one is late!  Other projects … Continue reading →

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Running the World-Machine: Flexibility as a GM

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Ian

This week on Running the World-Machine, I talk about how being flexible as a GM prevents player frustration, makes your life easier, and makes your tabletop RPG better for everyone involved.

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Running the World-machine: Relaxing for Your Player’s Sake

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Ian

Hey everyone, here’s the first entry in a (hopefully) weekly column, Running the World-machine, which is about gamemastering for tabletop RPGs.  This week’s entry is about staying relaxed as a GM, something that can be more than a little difficult … Continue reading →

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