What are your favorite gaming blogs?

[pwykersotz]

I assume I'm not the only one on the playground who likes to read to improve his GM skills, and I'd like to plumb the collective depths of our internet trawling to see if there's some gems that I've missed. And yes, while I could have asked this in the general roleplaying forum, I figure that since 5e is my current system of choice, I would find more relateable results starting here.

So that being said, what are your favorite blogs, sites, or articles that help you improve your skills, get outside your own head, and give you new ideas and inspiration? I don't mind conflicting advice either, studying different styles is a great way to figure out what works best.

I use the following:

Angry GM (http://theangrygm.com/) - Probably one of the more well known ones, I see it mentioned here often. Great articles that offer detailed advice. I got hooked when I read 5 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenaged Skill System (http://theangrygm.com/five-simple-rules-for-dating-my-teenaged-skill-system/)

Ars Ludi (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/all-posts/) - A personal favorite, the blog of the person who created the system Microscope and Kingdom. A bunch of very elegant and simple advice snippets. Some of my favorites are direct-linked below. I had these catalogued from a while back, so hopefully that's helpful, the index isn't always relevant to D&D.
Backdrop Plots: May You Live in Interesting Times (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/76/backdrop-plots-may-you-live-in-interesting-times/)
Bad Trap Syndrome Part 1 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/90/bad-trap-syndrome/) Part 2 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/91/bad-trap-syndrome-curing-the-bad-trap-blues/)
Be Interested (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/89/be-interested/)
Burning Spotlight (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/69/burning-spotlight/)
Character Monologue: Tell Us What It’s Like To Be You (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/128/character-monologue-tell-us-what-its-like-to-be-you/)

Choosing New Games (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/66/choosing-new-games-the-character-sheet-test/)
Don’t Roll, Think (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/70/dont-roll-think/)
Fast Mob Attack Rules (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/17/d20-fast-mob-attack-rules/)

Game vs World (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/92/game-vs-world/)
Give Them Details: Part 1 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/31/give-them-details/) Part 2 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/32/give-them-details-part-2-gratuitous-details/)
Grand Experiments: We’ll Always Have Lorngard (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/96/grand-experiments-well-always-have-lorngard/)
Hit Point Piles (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/75/d20-hit-point-piles/)
Initiative: the Silent Killer (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/72/initiative-the-silent-killer/)
Instant Names: the One-Letter Trick Part 1 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/116/instant-names-the-one-letter-trick/) Part 2 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/167/instant-names-mythic-flavor/)
It’s Not A Movie (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/68/its-not-a-movie/)
Keeping the Peace: Applying Social Sanctions (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/93/keeping-the-peace-applying-social-sanctions/)
Learn to Explain Failure (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/65/learn-to-explain-failure/)
Making the Party Part 1 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/4/making-the-party/) Part 2 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/7/making-the-party-instant-consensus/) Part 3 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/24/screening-player-characters/) Part 4 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/109/making-the-party-wedge-issues/)
Normal Vision: Part 1 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/10/normalvision-part-1/) Part 2 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/11/normalvision-part-2-when-should-i-use-it/) Part 3 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/12/normalvision-part-3-preparing-a-scene/) Part 4 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/14/normalvision-part-4-taking-it-farther/)
Play Constructively: Pass the Ball (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/38/play-constructively-pass-the-ball/)
Plot vs Premise: Running Crime Games (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/67/plot-vs-premise-running-crime-games/)
Point Buy Wildcard Option (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/5/d20-point-buy-wild-card-option/)
Question Your Assumptions (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/6/question-your-assumptions/)
Revelations (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/41/revelations/)
Rolling for Roleplaying: the Virtual Roll (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/74/rolling-for-roleplaying-the-virtual-roll/)
Rules Influence Style (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/54/rules-influence-style/)
Same Description, Same Rule (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/29/same-description-same-rule/)
Scaring Players: Creating the “oh sheet!” moment Part 1 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/27/scaring-players-creating-the-oh-sheet-moment/) Part 2 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/156/bears-are-not-that-scary/)
Second AI Part 1 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/43/the-second-ai/) Part 2 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/44/left-hand-and-the-right-hand/)
Situations not Plots (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/49/situations-not-plots/)
Stepping Stones: Telling More Interesting Lies (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/113/stepping-stones-telling-more-interesting-lies/)
That’s A Lot of Hats (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/168/thats-a-lot-of-hats/)
Treasure Tells A Story (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/99/treasure-tells-a-story/)
What Is An Action Schtick? Part 1 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/8/what-is-an-action-shtick/) Part 2 (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/33/what-is-an-action-shtick-part-2/)
Yin & Yang of GM’ing (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/82/yin-yang-of-gming/)

The Alexandrian (http://thealexandrian.net/) - Tons of good stuff here, hundreds of articles which review books, games, and give game advice. Here's a couple (http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/3879/roleplaying-games/random-gm-tips-accumulated-lore-2) of decent starting points (http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/3879/roleplaying-games/random-gm-tips-accumulated-lore-2). Probably most famous for the article on disassociated mechanics (http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/17231/roleplaying-games/dissociated-mechanics-a-brief-primer).

Hack & Slash (http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.com/p/index.html) - Recommended to me by MaxWilson on these forums, I'm still working on sorting through a lot of it.


What other good ones are out there?

[MaxWilson]

The Alexandrian's first (http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/15126/roleplaying-games/game-structures) few (http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/15134/roleplaying-games/game-structures-part-2-game-structure-basics) posts (http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/15140/roleplaying-games/game-structures-part-3-dungeoncrawl) on game structures (http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/15147/roleplaying-games/game-structures-part-4-combat) in D&D are also a must-read for DMs who want to run anything other than a dungeon crawl.

I liked the Ars Ludi article on "Initiative: the Silent Killer". Cyclic initiative is the single worst thing about vanilla 5E.

Here's a cool blog: http://soogagames.blogspot.com/

Here's another: http://www.lastgaspgrimoire.com/does-this-look-infected/

Here's a bunch: http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.com/2011/03/on-never-being-able-to-find-table-when.html

[pwykersotz]

Nice lists! Of note I had forgotten entirely about Blog of Holding (http://blogofholding.com/) which I have also seen before. :smallsmile:

[Belac93]

I quite like reading goblin punch. (http://goblinpunch.blogspot.ca/) He has a nice rpg system in the works right now as well.

[pwykersotz]

I quite like reading goblin punch. (http://goblinpunch.blogspot.ca/) He has a nice rpg system in the works right now as well.

Oh geez...I remember A Spell Called Catherine (http://goblinpunch.blogspot.ca/2013/06/a-spell-called-catherine.html). That blew my mind. I never knew where it came from until now!

[Nicrosil]

I love Power Score. He does in depth guides to the adventure paths which are must for anyone DMing them. He also has reviews on said adventure paths, summaries of important characters or creatures, and campaign recaps of his home games.

thecampaign20xx.blogspot.com

[pwykersotz]

I love Power Score. He does in depth guides to the adventure paths which are must for anyone DMing them. He also has reviews on said adventure paths, summaries of important characters or creatures, and campaign recaps of his home games.

thecampaign20xx.blogspot.com

Cool! I went over the Curse of Strahd one. I like the extra stuff he brings in from the AL and other thoughts about expanding it.

[Belac93]

Oh geez...I remember A Spell Called Catherine (http://goblinpunch.blogspot.ca/2013/06/a-spell-called-catherine.html). That blew my mind. I never knew where it came from until now!

I really enjoy 7 myths everyone believes about druids. (http://goblinpunch.blogspot.ca/2014/09/7-myths-everyone-believes-about-druids.html) An awesome alternate take on them.