LibGuides: Tabletop Roleplaying Games: Tips &amp; Tricks

Other TIps

These are some articles and videos that can help guide players and GMs.

Getting Started
Though brief, this article actually talks a bit about how playing TRPGs can be expensive, but there are ways to cut costs.
Playing Your First Game
This article talks about not just options of games, learning to play, and gathering a group but also some important topics like working together with your players and being honest about lack of experience or knowledge.
D&D Basics
D&D Beyond has a ton of great resources (and options for playing online), but they also specifically have a page that breaks down the game for new players. There's also an ongoing article series for new DMs.
GM Tips
A series made by Geek & Sundry that features GMs like Matt Mercer and Satine Phoenix with articles and videos on different topics to help GMs up their game.

I have the game, now what?

So you've picked a game. You have a group of players. You've all picked a day and time to play. So...how do y'all actually play?? Hopefully this tab will help give you some resources to make running your first (or 31st) game a little bit easier and more fun.

A note on playing online: sites like Discord and Roll20 are free to use, and can be great ways to play online. There's a bot called Avrae that can be added to Discord, which will connect to a character sheet from Dndbeyond, Google Sheets, or Dicecloud. It's also a dice roller, so no physical dice required! Plus, if a character sheet is linked, Avrae will add in any bonuses for the player. Both Discord and Roll20 have the option to share screens/video, as well as use audio and text chat, so it can be a pretty adaptive experience to get everyone playing in one program.

Resources from the Catalog

These are a few books in the SAPL catalog that can help teach skills related to running or playing a TTRPG, no matter what system you're using or how you're playing.

The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide
ISBN: 9781507208373
This is a great resource for players who struggle with the story side of building a character. The book gives several approaches to creating a backstory (the story of a character's life before they started the adventure you're playing them through) with humor and approachable language.
Fantasy Mapmaker
ISBN: 9781440354250
A guide to drawing maps, especially great for city landscapes, and includes cartographical details like coats of arms and shields. This kind of skill can be hard to figure out on your own, and it's surprising how much a clear and easy to read map can make all the difference for players. While this is for fantasy maps in particular, there are elements to learning how to draw maps that can be carried over to different kinds of game settings.
The Ultimate RPG Gameplay Guide
ISBN: 9781507210932
Remember earlier when I mentioned how some GMs use all kinds of elements in their games? This book goes over those kinds of things, such as sound effects and lighting, but also gives practical advice for being either player or GM in a game, such as improvisation and teamwork. Yes, teamwork. It can be harder than you'd think to get a group of people to agree on a plan of action. The kinds of skills and tips this book covers are applicable to basically any TRPG you might play, too.
The Monsters Know What They're Doing by Keith Ammann
ISBN: 9781982122669
From the blog of the same name, this book gives tips to DMs for running combat encounters that are engaging, interesting, and don't get bogged down. Combat seems like one of the easier parts of D&D, but often ends up being incredibly tricky to balance correctly for each party.
So You Want to Be a Game Master by Justin Alexander
ISBN: 9781645679158
Award-winning game designer Justin Alexander has created an incredible compendium of advice and maps, perfect for any aspiring Game Master. Full of practical, hands-on advice and sample maps, just reading the first chapter of this book will have you ready to run a game in less than an hour. No matter what game you're playing, this book is the key to unlocking the limitless realms of your imagination.