Gray Ooze – inside the GM mind of Alex Gray
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Timing Tune Up
My last Monster of the Week adventure was a two-parter. However, part one dragged and we didn’t reach the cliffhanger I had planned. I improvised a cliffhanger ending and turned the original ending into part two’s strong start. Let’s compare the two sessions and how I handled timing between them. My players seemed to like…
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Star Trek Adventures in Action
I normally play in a Star Trek Adventures game, but last session I was the GM! I ran a bottle episode that had the crew go on a first contact mission. They got into ethical dilemmas as planned and we had some great character moments. However, some parts of my prep didn’t go as planned…
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Star Trek Adventures Bottle Episode
I wrote a Star Trek Adventures mission! Starfleet diverts the players’ ship to a nearby system to make first contact. The planet appears to be a pacifist agrarian idyll. However, under the surface, opposing forces stir. As the mission progresses, the crew is drawn into an ethical dilemma.
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Choqaloo, is that you?
I’ve been busy running adventures and prepping for more fun since my last post. I’ve also changed how the blog is hosted!
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Prepping my Trickiest Session Yet
We flesh out a mystery that pits our heroes against a centuries-old vampire. We have a McGuffin, a traitor, and plenty of secret history. Additionally, we review a few ways we can support a player who is new to roleplaying for their turn in the spotlight. Let’s apply some judicious preparation to a tricky session…
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Wanted: Better Monsters
My last Monster of the Week session ended anti-climatically. Our monster was tough on paper. Once the hunters figured out its secrets however, they dispatched it easily and with extreme prejudice. In this post I pick up the shattered remains of my monster and ask how to make the next monster better.
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How the Krampus Ruined Christmas
Io Saturnalia! We begin our Monster of the Week mini campaign. The team must hunt down a Krampus and unwind a centuries-old bargain the town made with the creature. To complicate matters, the child whom the Krampus wants to steal has topped the naughty list several years running!
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Monster of the Week: From One-Shot to Campaign
My Monster of the Week one-shot that grew to two sessions has become a campaign! What am I to do? In this post I plot the campaign arc, tie in character motivations, and discuss why a limited campaign is probably best for MotW.
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Prepping Ghoul’s Night Out, Part Two
My Monster of the Week Halloween adventure ran long, so we’re coming back for part two! I now have the benefit of knowing the player characters and can prepare story elements with them in mind. In this post I prepare the second session of my Halloween one-shot. You only get one shot, twice, right?
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MotW: Ghouls’ Night Out, Part One
My first session of Monster of the Week went well. Case in point, we’ve already set a date to come back for the macabre conclusion of our story. But wait, wasn’t it supposed to be a one-shot adventure? We ended up running long. But let’s make some lemonade and prepare an even better part two.…