Books and articles on being a good DM

[daemonaetea]

Hello playground,

In various threads scattered here and there I've seen a number of recommendations on books and articles that help you be a better DM, GM, or term of your choice. Collected wisdom, tips on putting together sessions, and ideas for making things run smoothly. Over time I've lost links to much of this advice though, and I was hoping to build it up fresh. So if there's any sources you particularly value, I'd be glad for your sharing it. Or if there's another thread like this, my apologies, and I kindly ask for the link.

[jaydubs]

It's not a book or an article, but rather a series of videos between two DMs as they generally discuss their views and experiences.

Being Everything Else

[Talakeal]

Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastring is a pretty good book. A print copy is a bit expensive but the PDF is readilly available for cheap. Of course, the best advice in the book is at the end where he says that many problems at the table are too deep for a gaming book or even a self help book on social interactions to really cover as most problems arise from incompatible personalities and all the advice in the world wont allow you to change someone else's nature.

[mephnick]

Sly Flourish's The Lazy DM is a cheap short read.

There's nothing ground breaking in it, but it's a good reminder not to over prepare.

The Alexandrian articles on sandbox campaigns are great.

The Angry DM has some great articles on encounter design and NPC interaction, though you may not agree with all his opinions.

[themaque]

I actually think the 5e DMG has some really well written chapters about GM'ing.

[Oddman80]

A guy named John Four runs a Game Mastering blog called Role Playong Tips

You can also sign up for weekly emails - they are always filled with great ideas.

[Talakeal]

Also, the Counter Monkey on spoonyexperiment.com is a pretty good video series.

A lot of people don't find Spoony funny, and some can't stand him at all as he is pretty arrogant and stuck in his ways, but he really knows what he is talking about and is usually pretty damn entertaining to boot.