Treasure Tables is on hiatus as of December 13th, 2007. After two years of daily posts, I needed a break; that break might turn out to be permanent. In the meantime, I invite you to check out the hundreds of GMing articles in TT's archives, and to join our friendly, active GMing forums. If you're a longtime TT reader, thank you for your support. If you're new to the site, welcome -- there's plenty of GMing advice here to keep you busy! -- Martin

Free Game Mastering PDFs

Need a bit of GMing advice on a particular topic? Want to take our GMing tips on the road, or print them out for your games? With our growing catalog of PDFs for GMs, Treasure Tables has got you covered.

Below is the full catalog of Treasure Tables PDFs, listed in alphabetical order.

Evil Overlords: Faction Players in Your Game
Download Evil Overlords: Faction Players in Your Game
Authors: Tom Bisbee, Martin Ralya| Released: February 11, 2007

Collecting World Powers and Big-Picture Plotlines and The Care and Feeding of Evil Overlords, this PDF includes everything you need to give the evil overlord concept (a second “party” of players running your factions, secret societies and power groups via email) a try in your own campaign.

GMing Dos and Don’ts: Ours Go To Eleven
Download GMing Dos and Don’ts: Ours Go To Eleven
Author: Martin Ralya | Released: June 26, 2006

With eleven GMing dos and eleven GMing don’ts, this PDF makes an excellent overview for novice GMs and a great refresher for veterans. Quick, simple tips cover home campaigns, demo games and convention events. This is all-new content, and it has never appeared on TT before.

How to End a Campaign: Six Approaches
Download How to End a Campaign: Six Approaches
Author: Martin Ralya | Released: December 6th, 2006

This PDF collects TT’s “How to End a Campaign” series, and tackles a topic that many GMs struggle with. If you’re not sure how to end your current game, or if you want to plan ahead for an ending that might be months or years away, this PDF is here to help.

How to Take Simple (Yet Badass) GM Notes
Download How to Take Simple (Yet Badass) GM Notes
Author: Martin Ralya | Released: July 11, 2006

Released to celebrate TT’s first anniversary, this one-page PDF lays out a note-taking technique that’s served me well for over a decade. It’s ideal for taking quick, efficient notes during your game. All-new content.

More is Better: Group Character Creation
Download More is Better: Group Character Creation
Author: Martin Ralya | Released: July 11, 2007

This free PDF outlines a simple, versatile approach to group character creation — a great introduction for novice GMs, and a solid refresher for veterans (who might learn some new tricks, too). Released to celebrate TT’s second birthday, this PDF presents all-new content.

Player Tips: Everyone Likes a Three-Way
Download Player Tips: Everyone Likes a Three-Way
Author: Martin Ralya | Released: June 1, 2006

This PDF collects three popular Treasure Tables articles full of player-related tips. GMing for a Large Group and Splitting the Party both tackle common (and tricky) situations, while Getting Player Feedback offers advice to help make a challenging task go smoothly.

Problem Players: A Guide
Download Problem Players: A Guide
Authors: Scott Martin, Martin Ralya, Kurt “Telas” Schneider, Scott Turnbull | Released: March 4, 2007

The second PDF produced as part of our collaborative Wiki-to-PDF Project (and released for GM’s Day 2007), this short article covers spotting problem players and making sure you address the situation in the best way possible for your whole group.

Ten Ways to Find Players & What to Do Next
Download Ten Ways to Find Players & What to Do Next
Authors: John Arcadian, Brian Carl, Scott Martin, Martin Ralya, Kurt “Telas” Schneider, Scott Turnbull | Released: March 4, 2007

Created as part of our collaborative Wiki-to-PDF Project and released for GM’s Day 2007, this article offers tips for finding players, interviewing them and using a trial period to make sure they’re a good fit for your group.

Using a GMing Wiki: It Slices, It Dices
Download Using a GMing Wiki: It Slices, It Dices
Authors: John Arcadian, Amy Vander Vorste | Released: June 7, 2006

Collected in this free PDF are three Treasure Tables guest posts about using a wiki as a GMing tool. John Arcadian’s Wikis for GMs: An Overview (originally a two-part post) covers wikis in general, from technical basics to implementation. Amy Vander Vorste’s TiddlyWiki as a GMing Tool digs into Tiddlywiki, a specific flavor of online wiki that’s very handy for GMs.