d10 Table of Topics

In each episode of the Roll for Topic podcast, we randomly determine a topic of conversation by rolling a d10 and consulting the table below. Once we’ve discussed a topic, it’s removed from the table and replaced by a new topic.

Roll d10 and consult the table below:

  1. Who is in your personal Mt. Rushmore of RPG Creatives?
  2. Are there sections of RPG rulebooks that you always find yourself ignoring or changing?
  3. If you could pick anyone from the past or present to play a TTRPG with who would you pick?
  4. How do you keep “off-screen” NPCs/Factions organized?
  5. How do you spotlight characters?
  6. open
  7. open
  8. open
  9. open
  10. open

Topic we’ve already covered

Here are the topics we’ve discussed so far:

  • How do you help players to roleplay together, rather than just with you?
  • What does a great “flawed hero” look like as a PC?
  • How do you steal from movies and books?
  • What goes into running a great online/VTT game, particularly if you’re used to in-person games?
  • How do you keep your session notes and campaign info organized (if you do) over the long term?
  • How do you incorporate the families and loved ones of PCs into your games?
  • Do you require your players to read the rules?
  • How do you deal with “shiny object syndrome” as a GM?
  • How do you increase player investment in the story?
  • How do you balance levity, action, and drama in your games?
  • How do you design puzzles?
  • How do you store and care for your game books? How do you use them at the game table?
  • What campaign are you chickening out of running?
  • How do you handle mazes in your games?
  • How do you use PDFs and digital game resources?
  • How do you handle luck, second chances, or supernatural intervention in your games?
  • How do you handle inventory and inventory management?
  • How do you prepare set-piece encounters?
  • Do you prefer creating your own setting or using an existing setting, and why?
  • Do you share the plot points and secrets your players missed with your players?
  • How do you create memorable NPCs?
  • What do you do when you’re just not feeling motivated to run a game?
  • How do you use fear at the table?
  • How do you handle character death?
  • How do you make dungeons more adventurous?
  • How do make in-game travel interesting?
  • How do you run games when your group is just one or two players? (Shel Kahn)
  • How do you handle romance and shopping in your games?
  • When do you look up rules?
  • How do you bring a new game to your existing gaming group? (added by Murph in episode 15). Rolled 8.
  • How do you deal with anxiety as a gamemaster?
  • Do you read the block text in your adventure? Either the written text, or your own prewritten text?
  • How do you introduce a non-gamer to your game?
  • How do you handle doors in dungeons? (added by Jessica Snyder in episode 6)
  • How do you give a player who is leaving a game a satisfying send-off?
  • How do you use history to inform your quest and gaming?
  • How to run a game in two hours or less (episode 1). Rolled 9.
  • How to handle it when game sessions get derailed (episode 2). Rolled 10.
  • How to use a dungeon master’s screen (episode 3). Rolled 6.
  • Props/handouts and when to use them (epsiode 4). Rolled 5.
  • Bringing elements from other game systems into your game (episode 5.) Rolled 2.
  • Techniques to keep combat moving (episode 7). Rolled 1.
  • How do you deal with severe consequences to player actions (episode 8). Rolled 1.
  • How do you determine the “power level” of your game? Are your players normal people or demi-gods? How do you handle player disagreements about this? (added by Mark French in episode 5). Rolled 2.
  • How do you draw a player back in when they’re bored or distracted? (episode 10). Rolled 4.
  • How do you manage hit points and other fiddly details during combat? (episode 11). Rolled 8.
  • How do you use and introduce randomness into your games? (episode 12). Rolled 4.
  • How much (and what kind of) preparation do you do before running a game? (episode 13). Rolled 1.
  • How do you handle monsters in a game? (episode 14). Rolled 1.
  • Theater-of-the-mind vs. maps, minis, and other visual representations: what the pros and cons of each? (added by Jason Matteson in episode 11). Rolled 8
  • What elements from other media (books, movies, video games, etc.) do you bring into your tabletop RPGs? (episode 21)