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Boundaries and Burnout for GMs
You tell yourself it’s not a big deal. Someone talked over a quieter player again. Someone else made a joke that didn’t quite land, and the whole table went quiet for a second too long. Then someone corrected you mid-scene, like they were doing you a favour. You smile. You move on. You patch it up. Because you’re the GM. It’s your job to keep things moving, to keep people engaged, to make sure everyone’s having fun. You’re the one who keeps the ship steady, even when the waves get weird. But somewhere under the surface, something starts to wear thin. It’s not dramatic. There’s no explosion. Just a quiet…
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Navigating Character Conflict
Character conflict starts innocently enough. Maybe the rogue snaps at the cleric during yet another sermon. Maybe the wizard implies the barbarian wouldn’t know a strategy if it hit them with a halberd. Maybe the bard steals the warlock’s boots again. There’s a moment of silence. A beat. Someone looks up from their snack. Was that… in character? Welcome to the fraught and fascinating world of in-character conflict—where drama meets danger, not from the monsters on the battle map, but from the very people you’re questing with. When handled well, it’s electric. When handled poorly, it can seriously wreck your table. So how do you encourage compelling character conflict without…
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Session Zero: Expectations and Contingencies
No one likes to talk about it at the beginning. It feels like tempting fate, like naming your ship “Unsinkable.” But just as campaigns take time to build, they also face wear and tear. Characters die. Players move. Sessions get cancelled. And sooner or later, someone is going to say, “Sorry, I can’t make it tonight,” just as the necromancer’s ritual begins. That’s why it’s crucial to talk about expectations and contingencies before the adventure starts. Not in a doom-and-gloom way, but with the same care you give to story arcs and safety tools. This isn’t about predicting disaster. It’s about being ready to adapt as a group. Start with…
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Session Zero: The Ties That Bind
You’ve built your world. Picked your genre. Set the tone. Agreed not to roll dice in the guacamole. Now it’s time to ask the question that turns individual characters into a story worth telling: Why are these people together? Not just “because the plot says so,” but truly—what binds them? What history do they share? What promises have been made, debts owed, pranks un-avenged? While a group of strangers meeting in a tavern can get the job done, a party with shared pasts and tangled loyalties is storytelling gold. Why Bonds Matter Character bonds are the narrative thread that ties a party together. They give players a reason to care…
