Level Up Your Gaming: Tabletop RPG Podcast

In today's episode we talk about adding new players to your table.  How do you insert them into an existing story? What do I do with an experienced player?  What do I do with a new player?  How do I make them feel like they are part of the game no matter where they are inserted? We answer all these questions and more on today's episode. Leave us an email for feedback at levelupyourgaming...

In today's episode we talk about adding social elements and encounters into your games.  How do you let your diplomat shine?  How do you prevent a power gamer from ruining their experience?  How do you incorporate social and politicking into different settings?  We answer all these questions and more in today's episode.  Leave us an email for feedback at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.co...

In today's episode we change up the format and conduct our first interview with a group of guys from The Dungeon Masters Dojo podcast.  Luis, Scott, and Bill have been gaming for 30 plus years each and were a lot of fun to talk to during the podcast.  We hope you enjoy their stories and insight.  Check out their podcast, The Dungeon Masters Dojo, with new episodes on Tuesday and shorter conte...

In today's episode we talk about your players equipment, supplies, and money.  How do you keep track of all those things as a GM?  How do you make those items scarce and prevent players from hording them?  We answer these questions and more in today's episode. Leave us an email for feedback at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.com or  Follow us on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/Level...

In today's episode we talk about helping your players out when they lose their way.  How obvious should I be?  When do my players need help?  What are some techniques for helping them out?  How to I plan for contingencies? We answer all these questions and more in today's episode. Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.com or  Follow us o...

In today's episode we discuss adding adding a special element to a well crafted game to take it from a good game to a great game.  How do you pack an emotional punch that will leave your players feeling satisfied?  How do you introduce a prop or physical element into the game and have it hold weight for the players?  We dive into these questions and more in today's episode.  We have new...

Unfortunately we were not able to record an episode this week and we didn't have one in the bank.  Instead I am releasing a little teaser episode of future topics we are looking at talking about.  We also have our first interview scheduled with another group that will be coming out later this month or early next month.   Please subscribe, rate, and review this podcast.  Also you can contact u...

In today's episode we continue our discussion from last week on collaborative universe building.  This episode is more focused on the tools we use to execute the collaborative world building we've been using in our games.  How do you share notes?  How do you share music?  How do you transition your games?  These are just a few questions and more that we answer in today's episode. If...

Today we discuss creating a collaborative universe.  This episode is more about the theory and definition of what collaborative universe building is.  How do you trust that the other GM's in your universe are going to be faithful to your universe?  What are the benefits of creating a universe with your friends?  This is a natural extension of last weeks episode and we think you'll find i...

In today's episode we talk about Episodic Storytelling.  What is Episodic Storytelling?  What are the benefits of running a game like this?  Shouldn't a game be an epic chronicle?  How do you maintain consistency between stories?  We attempt to answer all these questions and more in today's episode.  Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@...

In this episode we discuss players cheating in games.  Why would someone want to cheat in a tabletop game?  What should you do about it?  What types of cheating are common to see in games?  We attempt to answer all these questions and more in today's episode. If you'd like to join the discussion or want to suggest and episode topic you can reach us at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.com L...

Today we discuss player table talk and what you should admit or ignore as a GM.  We boil it down to two pretty simple rules and it gets us going on some interesting tangents.  This episode eventually dives into Jared's two key philosophies on game and how to improve them.  It's definitely worth the listen. Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast...

In today's episode we discuss splitting your party vs group play.  How do you handle the group once they've split up?  How can you avoid metagaming?  Why might you encourage this type of behavior?   On the other side if you want your players to stay together.  How do you keep them together?  What are the benefits to group play?  How do you train your players to move in a group?   These a...

Today we discuss ending your game.  Why is an ending important?  What if I'm doing a short game or a one shot?  What if the game wasn't very successful to begin with?  How do I create my ending?  We discuss all this and more in today's episode. Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.com or  Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at...

Today we talk about GM Writer's Block.  How do you get past writer's block?  Should you shelve the game you are working on or muscle through it.  We'll discuss several techniques on getting past a dreaded case of writer's block.   Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.com or  Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://...

In this episode we dive into the Sandbox Game.  How do you run a sandbox game?  How do you do a story in a sandbox game?  What happens if my players zig when I want them to zag?  How do I end the game after playing it for so long?  We answer all these questions and more in today's episode. Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.com or  Follow...

Today we discuss impactful NPCs in your games.  What details do I need to know about the NPC?  How do you give them more life?   How do you add them to the group?  How can you make players care about them?  These are just a few questions we answer in today's episode. Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.com or  Follow us on Facebook and enga...

In this episode we dive into how to do horror in your games or incorporate scary scenes.  How do you put players in scary situations?  How do you make your monster scary?  How can you use atmosphere to enhance the horror?  What should you avoid?  We dive into these questions and more in this episode. Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.com or  F...

In this episode we dive into two specific player types from Robin's Law, The Specialist and The Power Gamer.  We look at what makes these two types tick and how they meld together well.  How do you challenge these players to break some of their habits and try out different character types?  How do you manage these players in your game?  These are just a couple of questions we look to answer i...

Today we talk about time in games.  How do you manipulate time and manage it in game?  How can you move the passage of time without breaking immersion.  How do you merge two time streams that are moving at different speeds?  These are just a few of the questions we answer in today's podcast. Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.com or  Follo...

In this episode we talk about your players and when they metagame.  How do you handle your players when they are metagaming?  Do you allow any metagaming at the table?  What if you just let it continue?  These are just some of the questions we dive into in this weeks episode. Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.com or  Follow us on Facebook and...

Today we discuss house rules in games and the differences between spoken and unspoken rules.  How do these rules come into play?  Doesn't the core game have everything you need?  How do you augment the system to your play style and create these rules?  These are just a few things we discuss in the podcast. Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmai...

Given the global crisis we felt it important to talk about how you can continue gaming with your group via online tools.  We discuss what you should set up and tools we've used over the years to facilitate this need.  We know this is a tough time and hopefully we can provide you a way to continue to enjoy your hobbies with your friends.   Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts...

In this episode we talk about consequences for your players in game.  How should you use consequences? How harsh should they be?  What's the point of having consequences?  We answer all these questions and more. Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.com or  Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGaming...

Today we talk about playing heroes and villains in games. We discuss some pros and cons of playing each type in games.  What are the challenges we face with playing villains?  Why is it so rewarding to play the hero?  These are just a few questions we talk about in today's podcast.   Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.com or  Follow us on...