Game Master's Journey
325 episodes - English - Latest episode: 8 days ago - ★★★★★ - 77 ratingsGame Master’s Journey is a discussion podcast for GMs and players of Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop RPGs hosted by Lex Starwalker. The show explores strategies players and GMs can use to enhance the gaming experience for everyone at the table. Lex also discusses the creation of his homebrew D&D setting, Primordia, providing a valuable worldbuilding resource for DMs creating their own setting.
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Episodes
GMJ 198: Hinterlands of Elandria Prelude 4: Brett as Wahl Part 2
December 29, 2017 23:45 - 50 minutesHinterlands of Elandria is a new D&D campaign set in Lex's homebrew campaign world, Primordia. Five years after the beginning of the Breaking of the World, the Time of Rifts and the Retreat of Humanity, a new team of adventurers leave the safety of the city of Elandria to explore rumors of a lone village somehow surviving in the Hinterlands to the east. Very few cities survived the Breaking, and it's believe no smaller settlements did. If there is a village out there, how has it survived on ...
GMJ 197: Hinterlands of Elandria Prelude 3: Steve as Maligar
December 27, 2017 21:35 - 46 minutesHinterlands of Elandria is a new D&D campaign set in Lex's homebrew campaign world, Primordia. Five years after the beginning of the Breaking of the World, the Time of Rifts and the Retreat of Humanity, a new team of adventurers leave the safety of the city of Elandria to explore rumors of a lone village somehow surviving in the Hinterlands to the east. Very few cities survived the Breaking, and it's believe no smaller settlements did. If there is a village out there, how has it survived on ...
GMJ 196: Hinterlands of Elandria Prelude 2: Phoebe as Bryn
December 22, 2017 23:30 - 56 minutesHinterlands of Elandria is a new D&D campaign set in Lex's homebrew campaign world, Primordia. Five years after the beginning of the Breaking of the World, the Time of Rifts and the Retreat of Humanity, a new team of adventurers leave the safety of the city of Elandria to explore rumors of a lone village somehow surviving in the Hinterlands to the east. Very few cities survived the Breaking, and it's believe no smaller settlements did. If there is a village out there, how has it survived on ...
GMJ 195: Hinterlands of Elandria Prelude 1: Brett as Wahl Part 1
December 20, 2017 21:35 - 1 hourHinterlands of Elandria is a new D&D campaign set in Lex's homebrew campaign world, Primordia. Five years after the beginning of the Breaking of the World, the Time of Rifts and the Retreat of Humanity, a new team of adventurers leave the safety of the city of Elandria to explore rumors of a lone village somehow surviving in the Hinterlands to the east. Very few cities survived the Breaking, and it's believe no smaller settlements did. If there is a village out there, how has it survived on ...
Game Master's Journey 194: Conversation with a New Game Master
December 14, 2017 22:05 - 2 hoursListener-GM Ali Buck joins Lex on the show to discuss her experiences as a new GM.
Game Master's Journey 193: Enhance Your Worldbuilding with Anthropology
December 05, 2017 07:55 - 1 hourMartin Hébert, a professor of anthropology, joins Lex to talk about how anthropology can help us create more realistic and more interesting cultures and worlds for our RPGs. They discuss some of the most common mistakes made by worldbuilders, and they tell you how you can avoid making those mistakes yourself.
Game Master's Journey 192: Xanathar's Guide to Everything: Dungeon Master's Tools
November 24, 2017 00:30 - 1 hourLex continues his exploration of Xanathar's Guide to Everything, the latest rules supplement for Dungeons & Dragons. This week he digs into Chapter 2: Dungeon Master's Tools. Topics include basic rules & assumptions of the game as well as expanded rules for falling, sleeping, adamantine weapons, tying knots, identifying spells, random encounters, downtime activities and awarding magic items.
GMJ 191: Behind the Screen 06: Creating the Misty Wood Encounter Table
November 20, 2017 09:00 - 56 minutesLex discusses how he created the encounter table for the Misty Wood, the first area players will likely explore in the campaign.
GMJ 190: Behind the Screen 05: Preparing for Session 2: The Hinterlands
November 17, 2017 02:35 - 41 minutesLex discusses how he prepared for the second session of his new D&D campaign, Hinterlands of Elandria.
Game Master's Journey 189: Tool Proficiencies Expanded in Xanathar's Guide to Everything
November 13, 2017 09:00 - 1 hourLex continues his exploration of Xanathar's Guide to Everything, the latest rules supplement for Dungeons & Dragons. This week he digs into the outstanding work done to improve the value of tool proficiencies in the game.
Game Master's Journey 188: Tour of Xanathar's Guide to Everything
November 08, 2017 09:00 - 1 hourLex begins a series of episodes discussing Xanathar's Guide to Everything, the new D&D rules supplement. Today he gives an overview of the book with a tour of its contents. Whether you're a player or a DM, Xanathar's Guide has something for everyone.
GMJ 187: Behind the Screen 04: Running Session 01: Into the Wilds
November 06, 2017 19:40 - 1 hourBehind the Screen is a series of GM commentary companion episodes to Lex's new D&D campaign, Hinterlands of Elandria. This week Lex discusses running session 1, Into the Wilds.
GMJ 186: Behind the Screen 03: Preparing Session 01: Into the Wilds
October 30, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourBehind the Screen is a series of GM commentary companion episodes to Lex's new D&D campaign, Hinterlands of Elandria. This week Lex discusses how he prepared for the first session, Into the Wilds.
GMJ 185: Behind the Screen 02: Hinterlands of Elandria Campaign Preparation
October 27, 2017 21:00Behind the Screen is a series of GM commentary companion episodes to Lex's new D&D campaign, Hinterlands of Elandria. This week Lex discusses his preparation for the campaign.
GMJ 184: Behind the Screen 01: Introduction to Primordia
October 25, 2017 21:05 - 2 hoursBehind the Screen is a series of GM commentary companion episodes to Lex's new D&D campaign, Hinterlands of Elandria. This week Lex gives an introduction to his homebrew D&D world, Primordia.
GMJ 183: DMG Chapter 2: The Astral Plane
October 16, 2017 22:59 - 1 hourLex returns to his discussion of the Dungeon Master’s Guide with an exploration of the astral plane. This is the first part of a two part discussion. We'll go over the basics of the astral plane. We’re not given a lot of details on this plane in the 5e DMG compared to previous editions, so in part two we’ll refer to the Manual of the Planes from 3rd edition to fill in the gaps. This week Lex also discuss some of the spells used to travel the planes--plane shift, gate and astral projection.
Game Master's Journey 182: Livestream 006: Upcoming Campaign, Future of the Show & More!
October 10, 2017 20:07 - 1 hourIn October's livestream episode, Lex discusses his upcoming D&D campaign, Hinterlands of Elandria, which he'll be livestreaming on YouTube. He also talks about the future of Game Master's Journey, adjusting encounters in a published adventure for PCs of a lower or higher level, Tomb of Annihilation and Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
Game Master's Journey 181: House Rules & Game Balance
September 27, 2017 00:16 - 1 hourLex discusses why game balance is important. We often think of game balance when coming up with campaign-affecting house rules, but we should also keep it in mind when making rulings on-the-fly during play. These spontaneous house rules can have just as much impact on our games as the ones we spend time designing.
Game Master's Journey 180: Hacks for DMs, Handing Out Powerful Magic Items & Is Worldbuilding a Waste of Time?
September 21, 2017 08:00 - 2 hoursLex covers a variety of RPG topics today including getting PCs back to town at the end of the session in West Marches campaigns, Limitless Adventures' Limitless NPCs, stepping on toes, Jeremy Crawford's DM hacks and handing out legendary and other powerful magic items. Finally Lex discusses the belief that worldbuilding is a waste of the GM's time because the players won't care about the setting anyway.
GMJ 179: DMG Chapter 2: Creating a Multiverse
September 18, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourLex shares what he learned from his latest D&D campaign. Then he begins a discussion of chapter 2 of the Dungeon Master's Guide: Creating a Multiverse. He covers the different types of planes and different ways you can fit them together into a cosmology. Finally he discusses some of the ways PCs can access and travel the planes.
Game Master's Journey 178: GM Philosophies & Tips, Worldbuilding & More!
September 11, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourBrett joins the show again for a GM to GM discussion of some general GM philosophy and tips, and Lex goes into some detail on his upcoming campaign and his homebrew world of Primordia.
Game Master's Journey 177: Livestream 005: Scaling Encounters on the Fly
September 07, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourEncounters seldom turn out in practice as they appear on paper. Today Lex discusses some ways to scale an encounter on the fly during play.
Game Master's Journey 176: "Random" Encounters, Player Honesty, Theater of the Mind & GM Impartialness in West Marches Campaigns
September 04, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourToday Lex discusses feedback from Listener-GMs on recent topics. He discusses his opinions on Professional Game Masters. He also talks about "random" encounters, player honesty, competition, theater of the mind and the impartialness of the GM in West Marches style campaigns.
GMJ 175: DMG Chapter 1: Flavors of Fantasy
August 28, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourLex wraps up his exploration of chapter 1 of the Dungeon Master's Guide with a discussion of the flavors of fantasy.
Game Master's Journey 174: Livestream 004: Preparing My Next Campaign
August 24, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourToday Lex talks about what he's done to prepare for his next campaign, The Hinterlands of Elandria.
GMJ 173: DMG Chapter 1: Play Style & Tiers of Play
August 21, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourLex returns to the DMG to discuss play style and tiers of play. Not all D&D campaigns are the same, and this is the point in your campaign creation where you decide exactly what kind of an experience you’re going for.
Game Master's Journey 172: Livestream 003: Preparing a Primordia Campaign - East Marches of Elandria
August 17, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourLex discusses preparation for his new campaign.
Game Master's Journey 171: Worldbuilding, Railroading & High Tier Play with Brett Nilsson
August 14, 2017 08:00 - 2 hoursToday Lex moves to the other side of the GM screen to talk with his DM, Brett. Lex has been playing in Brett’s campaign quite a while now and having a lot of fun. Lex asks him about his GMing style and about his homebrew setting of Terindal. They also talk about how to avoid railroading the PCs, and Brett's experiences running D&D at the higher tiers of play.
Game Master's Journey 170: West Marches Campaign Variants
August 09, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourLex discusses some variations you can consider to tailor the West Marches formula to the needs of your own campaign. He describes the variations he's using for his own campaign, The Hinterlands of Elandria.
Game Master's Journey 169: Livestream 002: Xanathar's Guide, Tomb of Annihilation, West Marches & More!
August 08, 2017 08:00 - 59 minutesLex discusses Wizards of the Coast's new product announcements: Xanathar's Guide to Everything and Tomb of Annihilation. He also discusses West Marches campaigns, Mearls' crazy initiative system, and more.
Game Master's Journey 168: Livestream 001: Introductions
August 07, 2017 08:00 - 28 minutesWelcome to the first episode of the Game Master's Journey Livestream. Lex introduces the show and explains what you can expect.
Game Master's Journey 167: Preparing & Running a West Marches Campaign
August 01, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourIn the second of a series of episodes on West Marches campaigns, Lex discusses how to prepare and run a West Marches-style campaign.
Game Master's Journey 166: West Marches Campaigns
July 25, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourLex and Christopher discuss West Marches campaigns--a style of campaign that features wilderness exploration and player-directed action. Everything from scheduling, to party makeup, to game session objectives is up to the players!
GMJ 165: DMG Chapter 1: Creating Campaign Events
July 20, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourLex returns to the Dungeon Master's Guide to discuss creating campaign events. These events are the perfect way to begin or end a campaign, or to renew flagging interest in a campaign that's grown stagnant. Finally, Lex discusses ending a campaign.
GMJ 164: DMG Chapter 1: Creating Campaigns
July 17, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourLex returns to his exploration of the DMG and discusses creating a campaign. Whether you’re creating your first campaign, or you’ve created so many you’ve lost count, the DMG has some tools to help you.
GMJ 163: DMG Chapter 1: Magic in Your World
July 10, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourLex returns to his in-depth exploration of the DMG with a discussion of how you can use magic to flesh out your world. Whether magic is rare or common, low-powered or high-powered, reviled or respected, the consequences of your decisions will trickle down throughout your setting.
Game Master's Journey 162: Art & Cartography in RPGs with Mike Schley
July 03, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourMike Schley joins the show to discuss art, mapping and worldbuilding in RPGs. He discusses his new Schleyscapes Kickstarter and his setting of Fernweh.
GMJ 161: DMG Chapter 1: Factions & Organizations
June 27, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourFactions and organizations are a great way to add richness to your world and increase your players' engagement and investment with your setting. Lex discusses how to create organizations, and he illustrates the process with his Honorable Guild of Adventurers Explorers and Scholars and the mystery cults of the gods of Primordia.
Game Master's Journey 160: Improving a Published Adventure to Make It Your Own
June 20, 2017 08:00 - 50 minutesEven the best published adventure can be improved by tailoring it to your players and their PCs. Lex discusses some issues with The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan, and he details some of the changes he's made to the adventure to address these problems. Hopefully this example will help you put your own spin on the next published adventure you run, leading to an even more enjoyable experience for both you and your players.
Game Master's Journey 159: Mass Combat, Absent Players & Real-World vs. In-Game Religions
June 15, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourIn this special, Patron-sponsored bonus episode, Lex discusses whether or not we need mass combat rules in our tabletop RPGs. He also presents a listener-GM's fantastic strategy on how to turn player absence into an opportunity for the rest of the group. Finally he gives some thoughts on keeping real-world religious conflicts from ruining the game for everyone.
GMJ 158: DMG Chapter 1: Creating Settlements for Your Campaigns
June 12, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourLex continues his series on the Dungeon Master’s Guide with a discussion of creating settlements for your campaign.
Game Master's Journey 157: Designing The Trickster's Labyrinth
June 06, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourLex discusses designing The Trickster’s Labyrinth, his first published D&D adventure. He also talks about some of his experiences thus far running The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan.
GMJ 156: DMG Chapter 1: Mapping Your Campaign
May 29, 2017 01:43 - 1 hourLex continues his exploration of the DMG with a discussion of creating maps for your campaign and world. He discusses the bottom-up and top-down approaches to mapping, giving some pros and cons of each. He also considers what to do if you don't have any skills with mapping and provides some campaign map resources to help you with your campaign and world.
GMJ 155: DMG Chapter 1: Developing Gods & Pantheons for Your World
May 23, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourLex discusses developing gods and a pantheon for his homebrew world of Primordia. Lex first attempted to base Primordia's gods on the domains in D&D, but finally realized it wasn’t working. Lex shares what he's learned from this and what he thinks is a better approach to creating gods and pantheons for your homebrew world.
GMJ 154: DMG Chapter 1: Gods of Your World
May 16, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourLex continues his exploration of the DMG with a discussion of gods and deities in your world. Lex explores different types of pantheons and religious systems, and provides examples from his own homebrew world of Primordia.
Game Master's Journey 153: Tales from the Yawning Portal Review
May 09, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourToday Lex discusses Tales from the Yawning Portal, an adventure supplement for Dungeons & Dragons. Lex gives a full review of the book overall and each of the seven included adventures.
GMJ 152: DMG Chapter 1: A World of Your Own
May 03, 2017 08:00 - 1 hourLex begins a discussion of the first chapter of the Dungeon Master's Guide with an exploration of the core assumptions of the published D&D settings and how you can alter them to create a world that’s truly unique. Lex accompanies this with an introduction to his own homebrew D&D world of Primordia and how he's approached these core assumptions. Finally, Lex talks a bit about his continuing journey in designing the god, pantheons, portfolios and domains of Primordia.
GMJ 151: DMG Introduction: Knowing What Your Players Enjoy Most About the Game
April 18, 2017 21:34 - 55 minutesThis week Lex begins an in-depth exploration of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. He spends some time discussing the different aspects of a roleplaying game and how you can engage players who enjoy those different aspects.
Game Master's Journey 150: Preparing for a D&D Session
April 10, 2017 23:00 - 2 hoursLex discusses how he prepared for an upcoming D&D session. He explains how he took a problem encounter and used it as an opportunity to reinforce the themes of the campaign and further the goals he has for this particular session and the campaign overall.
Game Master's Journey 149: Writers as GMs, Running Improvisational Adventures & DM-PCs vs. NPCs
April 03, 2017 22:00 - 1 hourStephen Rhodes joins Lex to discuss the craft and art of running RPGs. They discuss the similarities & differences between writing for video games & running RPG adventures and Stephen points out yet another way that theater of the mind play is an invaluable tool in the improvisational GM’s toolbox. They also discuss the difference between a DM-PC and an NPC that travels with the party, how to know which side of that line you’re on, and how killing off a beloved NPC can be exactly what your st...