Pyramid Review
Gamemastering Secrets, 2nd Edition
Published by Grey Ghost Press, Inc.
By Aaron Rosenberg, with various contributors and Dork Tower cartoons by John Kovalic
176 b&w page hardback; $34.99
Gamemastering advice is never in short supply, but advice with generic applications such as those in Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering don't see print often. Usually it's a specific GM's Guide to RPG #2001, or an article buried somewhere on the Internet. Grey Ghost Press, Inc. has brought one of the broad-based volumes back for an encore, Aaron Rosenberg's Gamemastering Secrets, and this time he has several notables from the gaming industry riding shotgun to supplement his counsel with short pieces that look at specific subjects in greater depth.
The bulk of the book is Rosenberg's personal observations about the GM's position and duties in a game. It's mostly a primer on refereeing, telling the reader all the things the average roleplaying book doesn't have space to tell the fledgling GM. It's arranged in the same order as the preparations one takes (or should take) for starting a new game. There are some quick-start tips to begin with, but it then walks step-by-step through organizing the experience.
He starts with the building blocks, like the terms common to roleplaying and the genres available, and then develops the activity. Who will be your players? What do they want from the game? What system will serve you best? Where do you play? . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: September 20, 2002
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