Update: more on the session here.

Dylan, thanks for starting that thread — it’ll be interesting to see where it goes.

Shandar: Your point about needing a place to freely discuss GMing stuff is well taken (and well said). That’s definitely one of the things I want GMs to get out of TT, and I’m happy to be able to provide a place like that for you.

In terms of keeping up with TT if this session blossoms into a campaign (or more generally, if I run something else — now or later), in some respects it should actually be easier.

I was running a game when I first started the site, and I found that it gave my posts a different focus. Being in the trenches provided more ready post ideas than not running a game. There have been days since then where it’s taken me a long time to come up with a post solely because I didn’t GM something within the past few days.

The flipside, of course, is time. When I started TT, I wasn’t posting daily — I could see full-blown prep plus daily posting plus real-life stuff adding up to a burned-out Martin. I take steps to avoid burning out when it comes to TT, and I’ll be doing the same thing with GMing — hopefully I’ll be able to keep a good balance, and I certainly intend to continue posting every day.

One of the hardest parts of being a GM/DM is that you don’t have the same kind of freedom to discuss your participation in the game that players do. Everyone loves “debriefing” after the session and I have to bite my tongue to keep from joining in with “your ability to charge right out of the module is hilarious!”

TT gives me the opportunity to discuss all the things I can’t discuss with my players, and dramatically lessens the feeling of loneliness sitting behind the screen can engender.

Please keep the site active as you step up to your GM prep duties.

And if it hasn’t been said lately, thanks for this website. Even if I don’t post replies regularly, I am really grateful for it existing.

If I made this into a reader poll kind of thing I wouldn’t want the readers to work too much! So I’d ask the readers to mention 1 TT post that either drastically improved their enjoyment of RPGs (as a GM or player), or drastically diminished their GMing prep time.

Readers with more free time could list more articles that they liked.

I think most readers can recall at least one TT article that changed their RPG life. What do you think?

I like John’s idea. Sure, it’s your site, but who better to use show how it can be “leveraged” than the owner?

Well Martin, I have been visiting this site for about a month soaking up all I can about GMing since I am putting together my first campaign. The site has so much great info I am sure there is stuff out there that I haven’t even made it to yet! The site is definitely great to help a GM prep for a game!

The 5 most useful articles from TT would be a great cpost idea.

Martin:
I think the general walkthrough works well because you are the creator of the site. You have a kind of full picture and focused interest in which articles you present, but I think the general idea is a good one no matter whose perspective it comes from.

I know a lot of webcomics do something like that. The kind of “new readers guide” that shows the big plot point comics. The same would hold true for TT posts. The big idea posts that are kind of the pillars of the TT philosophy. I think those can be picked by the creator, and by the readers (partially because TT is such a reader oriented community), but that there are bound to be differences in what people think which posts show the TT philosophy better.

I can do it, but Martin’s name holds more sway than mine