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by Lex Starwalker
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- 2 weeks ago48 min
Why Not Say Yes? | GMJ 340
A lot of times as a GM, we can be tempted to say no to a player. Why not say yes instead? Not only is this embracing the “yes, and” philosophy of improvisation, but it will lead to more fun for the players and for us too. I also discuss leveling in Daggerheart compared with other games I’ve played. There is no such thing as xp in Daggerheart. How does this impact leveling? I compare 1st level Daggerheart characters with beginning characters in games like D&D, Pathfinder, Cypher System, and World of Darkness.Play Daggerheart with Me on Start Playing Games.Sign up for my newsletter.Subscribe via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.Check out my sci-fi novel, Critical Balance.Have you read Critical Balance? Please leave a review on Amazon.Follow me on Bluesky.Join my Discord server.Email me.Check out my YouTube channel.Join my Book Club, now on Discord.Check Out my OTHER PODCAST - Lex Out LoudCall the Game Master's Journey voice mail: 951-GMJ-LEX1 (951-465-5391).
- 3 weeks ago1h 8m
GM Pitfalls to Avoid in Daggerheart & Other RPGs | GMJ 339
Today I discuss GM pitfalls to avoid in Daggerheart and other RPGs. We also play a little game of finding a way to use any attribute for a task. Even with something obvious, like crossing an icy bridge—that would obviously use agility, you can make a good argument for using any of the six attributes. I give some tips on how to prepare for more improvisational gaming sessions, and how to plan story beats without railroading the players. I talk about how the Hope and Fear system is an excellent pacing mechanic. Finally, I show how you can also use Fear to make an encounter as easy or difficult as you want, and it always feels above board and fair to the players, no matter how well or how badly things are going for their characters.Play Daggerheart with Me on Start Playing Games.Sign up for my newsletter.Subscribe via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.Check out my sci-fi novel, Critical Balance.Have you read Critical Balance? Please leave a review on Amazon.Follow me on Bluesky.Join my Discord server.Email me.Check out my YouTube channel.Join my Book Club, now on Discord.Check Out my OTHER PODCAST - Lex Out LoudCall the Game Master's Journey voice mail: 951-GMJ-LEX1 (951-465-5391).
- Apr 16, 202657 min
Daggerheart GM Best Practices | GMJ 338
Today I discuss Daggerheart’s GM Best Practices. These will help you be a better GM, no matter what game you’re playing or which system you’re using.Play Daggerheart with Me on Start Playing Games.Sign up for my newsletter.Subscribe via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.Check out my sci-fi novel, Critical Balance.Have you read Critical Balance? Please leave a review on Amazon.Follow me on Bluesky.Join my Discord server.Email me.Check out my YouTube channel.Join my Book Club, now on Discord.Check Out my OTHER PODCAST - Lex Out LoudCall the Game Master's Journey voice mail: 951-GMJ-LEX1 (951-465-5391).
- Mar 10, 20261h 23m
Daggerheart GM Principles | GMJ 337
Today I discuss Daggerheart’s GM Principles, which are begin and end with the fiction (story); collaborate at all times, especially during conflict; fill the world with life, wonder, and danger; ask questions and incorporate the answers; make every roll important; play to find out what happens; and hold on gently. I talk quite a bit about why you don’t want to call for too many rolls, and how to know when to call for a roll versus when not to. I specifically discuss the two main areas where some GMs call for way too many rolls: actions involving perception and knowledge. I also go into preparing for an adventure or game session by creating an inciting event to kick things off, and not planning too much beyond that point. I also share how I prepare to improvise. Finally, I talk a bit about advancing and modifying my setting of Primordia. I originally designed the setting for D&D, so I wanted to make some changes to better fit Daggerheart and allow the players more design space to collaborate with the world building.Play Daggerheart with Me on Start Playing Games.Sign up for my newsletter.Subscribe via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.Check out my sci-fi novel, Critical Balance.Have you read Critical Balance? Please leave a review on Amazon.Follow me on Bluesky.Join my Discord server.Email me.Check out my YouTube channel.Join my Book Club, now on Discord.Check Out my OTHER PODCAST - Lex Out LoudCall the Game Master's Journey voice mail: 951-GMJ-LEX1 (951-465-5391).
- Feb 24, 202652 min
Daggerheart Player Best Practices, Maintaining Trust & Death Moves | GMJ 336
This week I discuss player best practices presented in the Daggerheart core book. Keeping these in mind will enhance any tabletop RPG you play, not just Daggerheart. The first, and I’d say fundamental, best practice is to embrace danger. At the heart of this and the other best practices is to choose the interesting choice, the choice that makes a better story, not necessarily the optimal or most tactical or strategic choice. We don’t “win” at these games by always succeeding, never failing. We win by creating an awesome story together. A story where the PCs always succeed is a pretty boring story. The key to making this all work at your table is to establish and maintain trust among the GM and players. And a big part of building and maintaining that trust is how you handle PC death at your table. Daggerheart has some really great guidelines for all of this. I also go over how hit points, death moves, and scars work in Daggerheart.Play Daggerheart with Me on Start Playing Games.Sign up for my newsletter.Subscribe via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.Check out my sci-fi novel, Critical Balance.Have you read Critical Balance? Please leave a review on Amazon.Follow me on Bluesky.Join my Discord server.Email me.Check out my YouTube channel.Join my Book Club, now on Discord.Check Out my OTHER PODCAST - Lex Out LoudCall the Game Master's Journey voice mail: 951-GMJ-LEX1 (951-465-5391).
- Feb 10, 20261h 19m
Daggerheart: The Fear Full GM | GMJ 335
Today I talk about Fear in Daggerheart, a metacurrency used by the GM. Some GMs consider metacurrency to be a bad word. So how do the metacurrencies of Hope and Fear work in DH? Are they boons or flaws? Pros or cons? Buffs or debuffs? I’ll unpack it in this episode. I show how in my experience Fear hasn’t limited my creativity or prevented me from doing things I want to do. I discuss how fear is an excellent pacing tool, especially in combat, and how it really helps the GM dial in the difficulty of combat to exactly where they want it to be. Though at first blush Fear may appear to limit your options as GM, I haven’t felt like it does in practice. But it does make me feel like I can be more strategic and tactical, all while experiencing significantly less cognitive load than I’d experience running a similar combat in D&D. Fear also helps the players see that what you’re doing is totally fair and earned by their choices and actions. I also don’t have to feel bad when those consequences are unpleasant to the PCs.Play Daggerheart with Me on Start Playing Games.Sign up for my newsletter.Subscribe via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.Check out my sci-fi novel, Critical Balance.Have you read Critical Balance? Please leave a review on Amazon.Follow me on Bluesky.Join my Discord server.Email me.Check out my YouTube channel.Join my Book Club, now on Discord.Check Out my OTHER PODCAST - Lex Out LoudCall the Game Master's Journey voice mail: 951-GMJ-LEX1 (951-465-5391).
- Feb 3, 202658 min
Daggerheart: Taking the Initiative | GMJ 334
Today continue my series on Daggerheart with an in-depth explanation and exploration of its initiative system. I was very excited to try Daggerheart’s “lack of initiative initiative,” which is a bit of a misnomer. Daggerheart does have an initiative system, it’s just not like the ones you’re probably used to. I’m here to report that it works very well, and I really like it. I also talk a bit about how Daggerheart encourages metagame discussions between the GM and players at the table, and why I’m hugely in favor of this. Some people are averse to metagame discussions. But I show how they can greatly enhance your game, and I’d go so far as to say they’re required to deliver the experience and story everyone at the table wants.Play Daggerheart with Me on Start Playing Games.Sign up for my newsletter.Subscribe via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.Check out my sci-fi novel, Critical Balance.Have you read Critical Balance? Please leave a review on Amazon.Follow me on Bluesky.Join my Discord server.Email me.Check out my YouTube channel.Join my Book Club, now on Discord.Check Out my OTHER PODCAST - Lex Out LoudCall the Game Master's Journey voice mail: 951-GMJ-LEX1 (951-465-5391).
- Jan 27, 20261h 21m
Introduction to Daggerheart and Comparison with D&D, Pathfinder, and Numenera | GMJ 333
Today I’ll share the top 10 most-played tabletop RPGs right now. There are some surprises in this list, at least to me. I’ll also begin my series of episodes exploring the new RPG, Daggerheart, by talking a bit about what I like about it and why I’m excited to run it. I’ll compare and contrast DH with D&D, Pathfinder, and Numenera. Some of the aspects of Daggerheart I’ll touch on in this episode include the basic mechanics, campaign frames, and how the game encourages collaborative storytelling by having the players contribute to detailing the setting, NPCs, etc. during play. I’ll also talk a bit about how Darrington Press has made every effort to reduce math in the game and cognitive load on the GM and the players.Play Daggerheart with Me on Start Playing Games.Subscribe via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.Check out my sci-fi novel, Critical Balance.Have you read Critical Balance? Please leave a review on Amazon.Follow me on Bluesky.Join my Discord server.Email me.Check out my YouTube channel.Join my Book Club, now on Discord.Check Out my OTHER PODCAST - Lex Out LoudCall the Game Master's Journey voice mail: 951-GMJ-LEX1 (951-465-5391).The Top 10 Most Played Tabletop RPGs Right Now
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About Game Master's Journey
Game Master’s Journey is a discussion podcast for GMs and players of Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop RPGs hosted by Lex Starwalker. The show explores strategies players and GMs can use to enhance the gaming experience for everyone at the table. Lex also discusses the creation of his homebrew D&D setting, Primordia, providing a valuable worldbuilding resource for DMs creating their own setting.
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