I enjoy The Alexandrian and think the author puts out solid advice and RPG commentary, so I preordered Justin Alexander's book as soon as I heard about it. But after buying the book in November, I realized my too be read pile is very large and I had no idea when I was going to get around to reading So You Want To Be A Game Master . But when I saw it available on audible, I threw a credit at it immediately and added it to my library. Having finished listening to it, I can say that it is very good, very well written, and packed full of good advice. I am looking forward to digging into my paper copy, doing the exercises, and giving it a more thorough going over. You don't need me to review this book for you. There are many reviews out there of this book by luminaries in the RPG industry, YouTubers, and regular folks like me. It's good. Lots of good advice for running games, coming up with campaigns, building adventures, and managing your table. It listens well, if a little o...

With most of these books I listen to whatever is relevant to me at the moment, but this one I listened straight through and found it full of good ideas, solid advice, and juicy things to pull on my players. Good stuff. How to Defend-Your Lair Publisher's summary Defend yourself and protect your assets in a lair that feels as real and alive as your monsters with advice from Keith Ammann, author of The Monsters Know What They’re Doing: Combat Tactics for Dungeon Masters. The world is a dangerous place—especially when you’re up to no good. Whether you’re a rampaging monster, a calculating mastermind, or the current possessor of the Golden MacGuffin, someone’s going to come at you. Probably more than one someone. You can’t know when, but you can choose where. You need to be ready. You need a lair. In How to Defend Your Lair, gamemaster Keith Ammann pulls back the curtain on an underrated but crucial part of any tabletop roleplaying game: the theater of battle. Say goodbye to encounters...

One of my more recent purchases from Audible was worthy of being mentioned here at arohenRPG. Clocking in at 10-hours and 22-minutes, Appendix N: The Literary History of Dungeons & Dragons, written by Jeffro Johnson, narrated by Brandon Porter, and published by Castalia House, is an investigation into the various works of science fiction and fantasy that Gary Gygax listed as being the primary influences on the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Appendix N: Inspirational and Educational Reading being the list of reading material published in the original Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide. The author takes us on a fascinating dive into the literature of SF/F's past, we get a look back at fandom/geek culture and why these materials were so influential, and he does a good job of critically reviewing all the works and authors listed by Gygax. Furthermore, he hypothesizes and draws conclusions from his investigation as to what parts of those works were most...

The essential elements for building a world? I hesitated in using a $12 credit to buy this one. It’s short. Really short. Audible says, 4 hours and 42 minutes, and I tend to not spend my audible credits on anything less than 10-hours long. But I fell for their marketing and took the creative leap towards creating dazzling worlds of my own. I shouldn’t have used my audible credit for this book.   maybe the PDF is a better choice First, let’s talk positives. Everyone contributing to this book has serious RPG cred. There are essays by Keith Baker, Wolfgang Baur, David "Zeb" Cook, Monte Cook, Jeff Grubb, Scott Hungerford, Chris Pramas, Jonathan Roberts, Janna Silverstein, Michael A. Stackpole, and Steve Winter. The essays are good and offer solid, but rather vague advice. I think beginners will get more out of this than experienced world builders and game masters. Ray Greenley does a good job with the narration, but still comes off sounding like the friend with the pleasant voice...