The final qualifier has finished for the Ultimate Game Master Challenge, and so we have another competitor ready for the championship next weekend. Like in my other posts, I reached out to the winner, Devin Wilson. …

When I DM a game, I judge its success based on how much fun every single player had. This also takes into account the general feelings that everyone has after a game session too, not just during. This is the reason I don’t include too many things that make the…

Every DM knows that players can and will derail your campaign plans, going in directions you never expected. Typically though, these changes of direction only last a session or two, and don’t take away so much from your plans that you can’t get them back into the planned adventure. However…

Recently, the second qualifier for the Ultimate Game Master Challenge was held, and a second winner was declared. I talked about this contest in a previous post, where I asked for some insights from the first winner. After hearing about the latest winner, Daniel Mahoney, who will be competing for…

Anything can happen in D&D, that’s the beauty of it. That being said, there are some things that should be on every D&D player’s bucket list. These are things that will either teach you a lesson that must be learned, or expose you to something so fundamental and/or classic that…

Have you ever taken a tour of a real-life castle, or visited the house of some very rich person that has way more rooms than anyone could need? Have you walked around your local city hall? These buildings are so big! It can take a very long time travelling between…

Roleplaying games, specifically D&D, have seen a massive resurgence in recent years, and I think it’s because people are only just now beginning to realize what valuable social games they are. For decades D&D had a bad reputation, and was plagued by accusations of being “evil” and “corrupting”, which was…

When DMs don’t get to play as often as they like, or don’t get to play with the friends they want most, it can create a very real stress or pressure that affects how they run their games. When I went down to playing once a week (and only if…

Last weekend, the first qualifier for the Ultimate Game Master Challenge took place in Waterloo. While obviously all GMs are good for different reasons, this challenge gives people the opportunity to test their skills across a broader range of players. Those competing are scored by players who have volunteered; some…