Many people see a new year as a chance for self improvement. They want to improve their health, cut out bad habits or learn a new skill. Sometimes that means overcoming fear, doubt and other negative emotions.
Being a tabletop role-playing game Game Master can be challenging. It can be an overwhelming experience if not approached with the right mix of planning and flexibility. But it can also be a very rewarding experience unlike anything else on he planet.
Several tabletop game companies have come together to promote New Gamemaster Month as a way for gamers o try something new at the beginning of the year. The main site offers blog entries twice a week full of advice and training tips. There’s also information focused on the games those companies publish.
Experiencing multiple role playing games are a win-win for players. If it was fun, there’s a new game to play with friends. If it wasn’t enjoyable, there’s still probably some element hat can be taken back to the games everyone likes.
Running games outside of Dungeons & Dragons can help anyone’s skill as a Dungeon Master or Game Master. It’s a little like cross training for a sport by strengthening your skill through doing things you migh not otherwise. Here are the games available during the New Gamemaster Month program.
Numenera
This was the game that created Monte Cook Games at the beginning of the Kickstarter era. It offers a lot of game play similar to Dungeons & Dragons in that players are expected to head into strange locations, explore them and bring home loot. The twist is that the game is set in the far, far future and what the characters see as magic the players understand as advanced technology.
Unknown Armies
This idiosyncratic modern magic game from Atlas Games plays like a gritty reboot of other games about sorcery. Players dive into the obsessive subculture of spellcasters and try to hold their lives together as they gain power and influence. Humans are they only monsters here but that somehow makes the horror even sharper when it cuts.
Trail of Cthulhu
Pelgrane Press built its GUMSHOE system for this game of Cthulhu Mythos investigation. It puts finding clues in the players hands rather than the fickleness of dice rolls. A new edition is due out soon thanks to successful crowdfund at the end of last year.
RuneQuest
This fantasy game from Chaosium uses a classic rules set and focuses on heroes in a world where the gods are real. Rather than the medieval setting of many RPGs, this is inspired by the ancient world of Greece, Rome, Egypt and more. It’s known for its in depth setting that makes inspiring adventures easy.
Delta Green
Delta Green from Arc Dream Publishing remains my favorite Cthulhu Mythos game. It casts players as agents who secretly use gvernment resources to fight monsters. But it also leaves space for players to roleplay devistating scenes at home showing how all the secrecy takes its toll on regular lives.
Monster Of The Week
Evil Hat Productions offers Monster of the Week which mirrors the great modern monster hunting TV shows of yesterday and today. The book is also a resource for any supernatural role playing with great advice on how to design monsters and scenarios. Recent expansions include team playbooks that give he players even more resources to use in their never ending battle.
Savage Worlds
This fast paced rules set began as a way to play tabletop miniatures but has evolved into a versatile RPG. It powers plenty of classic Pinnacle Entertainment Group games like Weird Wars, Necessary Evil and the classic Wierd Western Deadlands. There are also several genre companions that help Game Masters build their own worlds.
Tales Of The Valiant
This latest offering from Kobold Press offers their take on a rules set like Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. It can be mixed and matched with D&D or played on its own. This is a great choice for potential game masters who like D&D bu want to dip heir toe in something slightly different.
