I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time. I have written nearly 900 blog posts, most of them about my experiences as a Game Master. I’m quite proud of the latest ones I write, yet I noticed that many them were a reflection of  how advanced I had become as a Game Master. I thought there would be an interest for a new series aimed at those with less experience or thinking about becoming Game Masters.  Some of these back to basics lessons and insights would likely be of use to more experienced GMs willing to see gaming through a different perspective than their own.  That’s how I realized, 10 years ago, that after 20 years as a GM, I still had so much to learn about the craft.

I still do to this day.

I love the craft of preparing and running roleplaying games. I want to encourage people to join the ranks. I hope this series helps GMs both new and experienced.

Given that D&D and its direct offshoots are the entryway games for many new players, I plan to focus on them when I use examples and case studies. I’ll also dig into other games when circumstances call for it. Many, less known but no less excellent RPGs exist out there. Some may even be better suited to the natural styles of new GMs than D&D.  Of course, I’ll also link back and quote from my own material… I’m not going to let so much go to waste.

So here’s a quick intro to the series.

Zen and the Art of Dungeon Mastering

D&D may have been published 40 years ago, not all DMs have refined their craft for that long. Every week, new people work up thier courage to take on the mantle of the Dungeon Master but often feel at a loss about where to look for help in the sea of forums, blogs, wikis and community pages. This column offers to be a welcoming entry to the art of DMing through real-life stories, significant DMing lessons, core concepts and insightful “Top X”-like article.

Leveraging over 30 years of experience as a DM and 5 as an established renowned blogger, I plan to infuse the series with cheerful enthusiasm and a laid back, conversationalist tone that humanize the DMing experience. I’d share my good and painful lessons and that of other DMs I know or would talk to.  Guest bloggers would come and share their own stories on subjects they care about.

All posts would be in the 500 words range, some possibly broken in multi-part series. The target audience would be new DMs and lapsed DMs including those who want to start playing with their children.

Example subjects:

• Before you buy a game
• Your first game
• Choosing published adventures
• Building a campaign (Series)
• The Rule of Cool (Revisited)
• Animal Farm (Giving players control of the story)
• You are not as bad as you think you are
• You are not as good s you think you are
• DMing authority: What it is, what it isin’t
• Introducing your kids to RPGs
• Playing games with children, tweenagers and teenagers
• The 7 habits of highly efficient DMs
• Walking in their low soft leather boots (Seeing the game from a players’ perspective)
• When games go bad
• Dealing with difficult Players
• When Real Life Interferes With the Game
• Introversion/Extroversion, how does that factor in as a GM?

Please don’t hesitate to give me suggestions for further subjects and let me know if the concept of such a series would be of interest to you or friends of yours.