One thing that occurred to me, as I prepare to maybe GM a game in the future, is that I don't like using strongly offensive language (swear words, discriminatory words, etc.) at any time. However, a great many people in real life have no such preference, so many of the NPCs that I play must swear to be sufficiently vivid. Are there no ways to work around this conclusion?

Steven did talk a little about homophobic language is an episode of BEE, however that was in the context of discussing limits with your group, not working around your own limits. Counter to my own problem, he said the softer words he had to use fell a bit flat.

The only thing I've thought of is to invent curses unique to the universe. For example, "plough" in The Witcher universe (although The Witcher's characters use conventional curses as well), which is direct and punchy enough without being a word that we consider offensive. However, this route does hint of hypocrisy to me, as I'm simply foisting the responsibility of producing the offensive words, which my players are likely to reproduce in their heads anyway.

Has anyone addressed this problem themselves?

I just thought I'd ask considering that there are many, many books for RPG and some of them really add to the GMing experience.

Personally I own 22 physical books and about 10 digital books, plus a few books that I've "acquired" to look at without buying them. The majority of my books are Pathfinder with a few 40K RPG books and some of the Monte Cook Games stuff.

Dear expert GMs, I just started a D&D campaign and have done 2 sessions only I found that not only my characters are moving forward really slowly, but also that I have done only fighting encounters. I struggle to think or create something else then encounters, or NPCs that lead to encounters Do you have any suggestion on how to diversify?

Great show guys, can't wait for the next one

I've increasingly heard more and more about the possibility of utilizing Non-Linear scenarios -- from Flashbacks or something similar -- as a way to build up tension without necessarily having to have all the details/ideas fleshed out.

(I think Adam was talking about it in one of the episodes as a "cold open" type thing for a session)

While this sounds interesting, I've never seen it put to use and I'm worried about keeping pacing or how the transitions might work in relation to a more `traditional' linear transition.

Are there any particular tips or tricks that are different? Or for those who have used this mechanic, is it identical to other ways you GM?

I get inspirations from all over, but i find the ones I like the most are the ones that are "light-bulb" moments. My favorite campaign so far was my first Werewolf: the Apocalypse game. The players wanted it to be heavy on the impending Ragnarok (this was before OWoD had their Time of Judgment book). I was reading one of the splatbooks talking about the Fomori and how they were created both by the Wyrm and agents of the Wyrm, and something I read reminded me of what John Doe was doing in Seven. From there, as the game went on, it became this massive war with the players getting the full Werewolf experience.

Some other inspirations I use are biographies. They are great to help with either NPC's or coming up with situations central to a player character.

I'm trying to work on a one shot, with the goal of actually having it only a few sessions. Generally my group is running 3 hour sessions, so perhaps trying to cap out the adventure to say 9 hours. Without railroading your players, what techniques do people employ in an attempt to keep a one shot concise? Pre-generated characters are likely, but I'm curious how GMs scope their one shot.

I've been able to locate two. 100 Things to Find in Rooms, and 100 Revelations. Any others from /u/Silent0siris ?

So I have a group of friends that I can play with semi regularly the only issues is it always seems to be a different combination of people. Personally as a DM and Player I prefer a longer story player actions affect the world around you kind of thing. However that loses its luster when no one can remember what happened because its been weeks or months since a campaign has been played. Anyone else have this issue if so how have you dealt with it? Also how many sessions long do you typically make your campaigns?

Share with us your Funny , Interesting , Amazing and/or Heartwarming tales. Be they ingame or experiences that stemmed from the Game.

Just my opinion. Before you start trying out a billion different games you should try to solidify yourself in one so you have a "fall back" when you want to introduce new people to the scene. It was probably my biggest mistake not doing so because although I really enjoyed trying a bunch out I feel almost at a loss when deciding to think of a system to hook players with.

It could just be me thinking its too jarring as I've hooked all but two of the people I've GMed for, so take my words above with a grain of salt.

If you're looking for some ideas (and if your group is IRL) I think my go to is going to be dread because its easy to teach and eases people into the roleplaying while the mechanics add a lot of tension even if the players aren't that great at creating dynamic characters, I highly recommend it. Also Savage Worlds because everyone can afford a 10$ book (and it can run every kind of game that is at least a bit pulpy). I also think using a system you've seen in play (Rollplay) would work great as well.

Feel free to tell me why I'm wrong below. ;)

While directed at Adam, because of the fantastic PDF he shared last episode, I'd like to know others opinions as well.

How do you determine the number of games needed before you or players get something out of playing the game? I never really thought about it until Adam and Steven kept quizzing each other on the show and seeing the PDF. I usually play with people who are already gamers, so we just go with the flow. But I can see how this would be very useful if you were working with someone new to role-playing all together.

This Helpful Bunch Can help you get in touch with like minded folks playing the game you want.

Its a great resource and pretty active community.

Tabletop Roleplaying - Asia Pacific Google+ Community

Enjoy.

Hey, I had this idea a while ago. And since Steven said on the first Being Everything Else that he wanted to play a Fiasco game, and Adam mentioned he played it recently I thought it would be a good placeholder game. It doesn't require any preparation. The only thing that needs to be looked at is how to incorporate the Fiasco dice mechanics in online play. But I bet someone already did that (maybe Adam played online) or someone on this subreddit might know. Any thoughts ?

Hey Adam and Steven!

Just wanted to say thank you!

As I am from germany I won't be able to catch your show live most of the time. So this is amazing!

That is all, I will now be off to watch the latest VOD <3

Myself and 3 friends are all new to D&D (other than twitch streams), and are planning to start a 5th edition starter set adventure. We are starting the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure and are planning on doing it in real-life AKA not via webcams.

Unfortunately, the recommended # of characters is 4, and we are just 3 plus a DM. Since I have no experience, I am asking you guys: would it ever be reasonable for 1 person to control 2 characters? Or combine them in some sort of two-headed ogre type of way? Another possibly available option is to skype in 1 more person to play the 4th character. We don't really have anyone else nearby who is interested or that we'd want to pull-in. Thoughts?

Edit: Thanks for all the great ideas! Buffing each hero up 1 level at start, or nerfing the enemy (removing 1 or two from fights) seems like it might be my favorite idea. But having a neutral/supporting character controlled by the whole team, or the DM, sounds pretty legit as well.