JHS Sketch

The Angry GM teaches you how to run RPGs

Scott “The Angry GM” Rehm espouses wisdom weekly on how to run tabletop roleplaying games. D&D in particular, but most of his advice applies generally. I want to start running D&D games again, and I be very good at what I do. So, for my own assistance, and here for anyone else who might like it, is an index / introduction to The Angry GM’s articles, organized in a way useful to me. Maybe it’ll be useful to you too.
Running Games
The very basics
Using a skill system
Adjudicating Actions
Narration
Social interaction
Improvisation
Improvising rules
Improvising story
Important skills
Pacing
Running your first session
Session structure
Recapping
Non-player characters
NPCs in the party
Questgivers
Unexpected NPCs
Opportunity costs and trade-offs
Dealing with death
Your Game Mastering credo
Different kinds of fun
Engagement
Adopting a new group
Published modules (when I won a prize for being “the least worst person ever to Ask Angry Anything!”)
Planning and preperation
Tone and what’s possible
Atmosphere
Creativity exercises
Campaigns
Plot Arcs
Starting a campaign
Adventures
Exploration lessons from Metroid
Adventure basics
Structure
Resolution
Motivation
Backstory
Challenge and difficulty
Three types of structures
Linear
Open
Branching
More on sandbox games
Coming up with ideas
Mystery stories
Making wilderness travel matter
A fragile premise
Rest in regard to adventuring days
Faction powers and planning
Scenes
Types of scenes
Opening scenes
Exposition and exploration
Who, what, when, where, and why
Building scenes
Encounters
What makes an encounter
Building encounters
Traps
Interaction in encounters
Combat
Combat basics
Enemy combatants
Battlefields
Building combats
Managing combats
Building the Megadungeon
Intro
Adventuring days
Awarding Experience Points
The critical path
Gating
Backstory
Plot and story beats
The master plan - math
The master plan - plot
Flowchart
Mapping encounters
Trashing work
A map
Map tour part 1
Map tour part 2
Design philosophy
Asset libraries
Random encounters
Reward and punishments
Map rules
Other interesting thoughts
Defining roleplaying
The Metagame
It’s your fault
When you can’t lie
Experience points and rewards
GMs and players are playing different games
Passive and active skills
Abbreviating stat blocks for D&D 5e
Alignment
City mapping
How to publish D&D content
Reflecting on D&D 4e
Probability
Slow decisions
What’s a class good for? (Which might suggest you could change what classes are available for world building / tone purposes)
Running a game for an evil party
The non-problem of comfort zone / Too much loot
PC conflict
That guy who loves to annoy the party
Alignment again / Encounter balance in 5e
Try to make Intelligence and Charisma not terrible
Psionics (and tone)
Critical hits
Damage rolls
If you like this, consider supporting his Patreon (I do, but only a little). I’m not affiliated with The Angry GM, just a fan.
Scott, if you happen to read this, thanks for all you do!