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This is a nice little book about incorporating techniques from improv theater into running tabletop RPGs. As a GM who has a tendency to over-prep, I definitely need this kind of advice, and found a lot of very useful tips in here. That said, this isn't a textbook or a how-to guide. Rather it's a collection of essays, each from a different author, each covering the same topic. Every individual author has their own take on the subject, but there's a lot of overlap and redundancy. Still, I found th...
Very solid read. Great information for all GMs and many players. I reviewed it fully here:http://w-g-r.blogspot.ca/2014/06/i-go...
Most of the major players in the storygames movement have contributed to this volume. When it's on, it's very on: Vincent Baker, Robin Laws, Ken Hite, and Jason Morningstar have some great essays on conversations, shared imaginations, and making it work. The other contributors also have lots of advice on listening, saying "Yes, and...", and getting weird in a game. The weakness in this collection is a lot of repetition-too many intros defining improvisation and its use in RPGS, which could have
pretty good book for those wishing to improve upon their improvisational gamemastering skills. Alot of the early part of the book draws from improv acting, so those well versed in it may want to skip the beginning. People like myself with no prior experience with improv outside of role-playing might find out more useful. the latter half of the book I found more useful in terms of game/session prep and worldbuilding. Overall a good book for GMs wishing to improve upon their craft.
If you're a GM or just love the art and craft of collaborative storytelling, check this book out,This collection of essays looks at all manned of topics regarding freestyling your interactions with your players and how to get the most out of your improv. Depending on what your strengths and weaknesses may be in that department, different essays will be more or less useful, but almost all of them were brief, to the point, and helpful to an extent. Definitely keeping this one on my shelf.
Very helpful book for aspiring GM's. Certainly highlights some of the mistakes I've made as a GM in the past.
This collection of essays is well worth the read if you are early in your GMing arc or if you are looking to branch out into more and more improvisational play. As you would expect with any collection, some essays are brilliant, some are good, and some have less to offer. Nothing in here is downright bad, and I only found one of the 23 essays to not be worth the reading. It was a great idea to create a GM guide made from many voices rather than from a single perspective. Even with overlap and re...
First of all, this is a very good book. If you are more of a prep GM or an improvisational GM, it doesn't matter. If you're a new GM or if you've been DMing for 20 years (like me) it doesn't matter. You're going to get something out of this book. The essays are all very thoughtful and you can tell the authors put their heart into it, for the most part.There are two things that kept me from giving this book 5 stars. First one was the editing. The writers were clearly working very independently he...
The book starts with an example taken from Firefly and social encounters, at which point I'm already hooked. It then continues with collaborative gaming and tips on the art of storytelling on the fly, all very useful. Some of the essays are pretty basic, some seem to drift away from the general concept of the book, but there are some jewels, like Morningstar’s (the maker of Fiasco) that throw a shower of insight and for those alone the book is worth it. It could be better edited, however, I foun...
A nice collection of short essays on using improv techniques when running RPGs. No bad essays in the lot, and a few really good ones. Only downside was that a few basically restated the same points, often by discussing improv in a general sense rather than focusing on some specific aspect. (B+)
The book was a collection of essays, all revolving around gm improvisation. Couple of essays interesting, nothing earth-shattering. I've been improvising my game mastering for a while now, some of these were helpful but few of these were not so but entertaining nonetheless. All in all, I think this was a good read, I enjoyed myself.
A decent read for people new to tabletop roleplaying, but probably not the most useful book for established GM's. The essays are of varying quality and many of them repeat the same advice for improvisation (say "yes, and...", prepare random tables, have lists of names ready, study acting, do something weird, etc.) that already appears in many other books aimed at Game Masters. I appreciate the breadth of different authors here though, as each author has a different perspective on improv and conv...
If you are a GM, I cannot recommend this book enough. I would have said I was a good improv GM going into this book, but it gave me words for things I've always done instinctively and gave me many new ideas as well.
The essays on this book are focused on techniques for improvising while GMing role-playing games. Every author has a different idea of what improvising means in this context, but that's good because the perspectives offered have a lot of variety. Some of the essays were thought provoking. Others didn't offer anything new. A couple offered insights that I've found immediately applicable and useful in our games. All of them were well written and ranged from mildly interesting to fascinating. Not a...
Multiple short essays with tips and tricks about improvisation in p&p RPGs. Would be five stars if the essays wouldn't repeat the tip "Yes and" again and again.