Jared Smith

I first started roleplaying in 2006 and began running games as a DM (Dungeon Master) in 2007. Since then, I have played in over 15 different systems and have run games in 4 of those systems. My experience isn’t that extensive compared to others, but I make up for this in creativity. Below is a list of the games I have played in as well as the amount I have spent playing them. Those with an * next to them are systems I have ran games in as a DM. AD&D – 1% D&D 3.5 Basic* – 32% D&D 3.5 Eberron – 3% D&D 3.5 Forgotten Realms – 3% D&D 3.5 Ravenloft (Similar) – 1% D&D 3.5 Dark sun (Similar) – 2% D&D 4th Edition* – 3% Mutants & Masterminds* – 19% Star Wars Saga Edition* – 20% GURPS – 8% GURPS – Fallout Edition – 1% World or Darkness – 4% Call of Cthulhu – 1% Legend of the Five Rings – 1% And many more that I can’t remember… - 1%

Author's posts

Oct 26

Running a Successful Campaign: Tips & Tricks for Week 10

Weekly Tip/Trick for Friday, October 26th, 2012 Create a Unique & Captivating Story Dynamic Using Proper Planning – Developing a story that is both unique and that will keep players interested can be a daunting task at times.  With work, family, and our social lives outside of roleplaying, finding time to do this can be …

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Oct 19

Running a Successful Campaign: Tips & Tricks for Week 9

Weekly Tip/Trick for Friday, October 19th, 2012 Don’t Be Afraid to Say Yes, No, or Ask for Help – One of my biggest flaws as a DM is that I have a tendency to be too generous.  I love rewarding players, but sometimes it can get out of hand.  This works both ways though.  If …

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Oct 12

Running a Successful Campaign: Tips & Tricks for Week 8

Weekly Tip/Trick for Friday, October 12th, 2012 Know Your Group – Understanding what players do and don’t like is important, but it is also important to challenge them.  All players have a certain level of expectations, but how you present these in game is completely up to you.  Some players are more combat oriented, while …

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Oct 05

Running a Successful Campaign: Tips & Tricks for Week 7

Weekly Tip/Trick for Friday, October 5th, 2012 Have Fun! – This is the most important rule!  Countless times I have seen people get in arguments over rules, roles, etc. that really take away from the whole point of roleplaying.  As the DM, you have the final say in any dispute about the game or rules, …

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Sep 28

Running a Successful Campaign: Tips & Tricks for Week 6

Weekly Tip/Trick for Friday, September 28, 2012 Remember the Books are Just Guidelines – One thing that kept me from becoming a DM at first was a limited understanding of the rules.  You don’t need to know every rule to run a game.  The way I like to look at it is to think of …

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Sep 21

Running a Successful Campaign: Tips & Tricks for Week 5

Weekly Tip/Trick for Friday, September 21, 2012 Try to Get the Players Invested in Your Game – This is a crucial step in motivating players to keep coming back!  Think of it this way, you are 100% committed to your campaign, that’s obvious, but the players start out 0% committed to it.  The idea is …

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Sep 14

Running a Successful Campaign: Tips & Tricks for Week 4

Weekly Tip/Trick for Friday, September 14, 2012:    Keep it Simple – Another way to burn out players is by over complicating things.  One thing that has frustrated me in the past is when DM’s create these huge elaborate mazes/puzzles that take the group FOREVER to solve.  If the group is spending hours relying on the …

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Sep 07

Running a Successful Campaign: Tips & Tricks for Week 3

Weekly Tip/Trick for Friday, September 7, 2012:    3.  Think Ahead– This may sound like an obvious one, but keep in mind, players don’t know everything that you know.  Don’t expect players to figure out something just because the answer is simple or right in front of them.  You also can’t expect players to remember everything …

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Aug 31

Running a Successful Campaign: Tips & Tricks for Week 2

Weekly Tip/Trick for Friday, August 31, 2012:    Have a Contingency Plan – The best advice anyone has ever given me, when it comes to running games, was to always have a contingency plan.  This could be anything from a random NPC (non-playable character) you create, to a surprise encounter.  I used to play with a …

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Aug 24

Running a Successful Campaign: Tips & Tricks

Weekly Tip/Trick for August 24, 2012:  Introduction When I first started running games, no one really gave me any useful tips or general rules of thumb to go by.  All I had were the books and my own creativity.  Although the books help, they can also create headaches and overwhelm those new to running games …

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