my players have been asking if we can move to an online platform for a while, since right now our setup is just a paper map, wooden tokens, and an overhead camera because they're all hundreds of miles away. And honestly, I could use less to do during our sessions; it would be nice to let them move their own pieces and just focus on roll checks, npcs, and lore. The problem is, I've tried to learn to use the online GM tools, and I must have the learning potential of spongebob at boating school, because none of the tutorial videos for roll20 or OwlbearRodeo have been helpful. they're all just a glorified ad video that teaches you nothing about the controls. I need a human. one who knows what they're doing, and can walk me through the process of building and running at least one mock session, if not a short mock campaign. Is there anyone here who can help me? or can you connect me to someone who can?

Have you ever gotten so into roleplaying an NPC that you accidentally gave your players truthful information when the NPC was supposed to lie? This happened to me yesterday and now my players have way more information than they should. I can pivot. I just find it hilarious.

That is, how many TTRPG campaigns that you were a part of reached a conclusion where you'd say the fiction of the game was finished? Story told, done, complete, etc? Instead of fizzling out (due to scheduling conflicts, loss of interest, moving on to a new game, etc). I'm trying to figure out if my experience is typical or not. I've played in or run 20+ campaigns since I got into TTRPGs about 20 years ago, but I've only ever "finished" 3 campaigns. One-shots don't count! I mean something that was meant to be episodic and take a long time to unfold. (I made this a post instead of a poll because I'm interested in specifics if you have them!)

Hey folks, see below for a quick poll about a potential Game Jam! We're very excited about hosting one here in the Lab, but we want to make sure there's enough interest to get a few games circulating around. Since this space is all about learning from one another, we'll probably have lots of times and spaces leading up to the games where GMs can ask one another for advice, swap ideas, and test concepts for their game. For those with no experience in game design, this can be a great shot to try something (simple or complex) and get some feedback from experienced Game Masters! There'd be discussions, time to test out the games, and prizes! Check out the poll to gauge interest here; if it's a little low, we'll revisit the idea once the lab has grown some more.

We've had some great posts this last week about preferred mechanics of a game, and styles of GMing. It got me thinking---what sort of games are people in the lab running? Out of the following, what would you describe as the main focus in the game you run, a combination of your personal preferences and what the system you run is designed for? There isn't room to list every option, so some (like Blades' heists or Cthulhu's mysteries and horror) are lumped under other categories. If something really doesn't seem to fit, pick unlisted and comment yours below!