World Builders,

Tabletop role playing games transform you into a dominant presenter. Never tank a talk again because soon you'll have the secrets of the Game Master up your sleeve.

Game Master?

TTRPG Crash Course incoming. We'll stick with the world's most popular RPG, Dungeons and Dragons, or "DnD" for short. You may have heard of it.

The game master runs the game: sets the traps, builds the dungeons, describes the scenery, hides the loot, and acts as the bad guys and good guys who aren't played by the people at the table.

These folks are the definition of prepared.

The rules of the game, plus your collective imaginations, equals you pretending you're a gaggle of intrepid warriors and wizards lying, conniving, hacking, and blasting your way through the magical countryside.

Improv++

A huge aspect of DnD is that a roll of the dice often determines your fate.

In other words, random shit happens, and you have to deal with it.

You, as the GM, are on the spot acting, reacting, and strategizing in realtime while the group does the most insane nonsense imaginable. The trope is that nothing you plan as GM will ever happen the way you think it will i.e. "Players ruin everything."

And that's the best part.

Your mind is moving at the speed of that rogue's blade about to slice the neck of the innocent cobbler who wouldn't cut him a deal. What do you do? You didn't foresee this brazen lawlessness, but here you are about to see a murder unfold in the sleepy hamlet of Nowhereresville over a few copper pieces.

Remind you of something?

Oh, yeah. It was that meeting where you presented your dream project to the executives and they threw you so many curveballs you wanted to hide behind the ficus until they got bored and left.

Game Masters don't suffer these assaults laying down.

Embarrass-Me-Not

Unlike a board room, the game table is a safe environment where you can practice your patter and thinking on your feet without fear of retribution. Your audience wants you to succeed. When you win, they win.

Be unafraid, put on that phony goblin accent, and get ready to battle with your buddies. You learn more than you can imagine when you drop the fear and dive in.

Next time, I'll reveal three techniques that GMs use when they find themselves up against the improbable with no time to spare. They'll help you level up your confidence when dealing with partners, collaborators, and bosses, and maybe even your kids.

To future worlds,

Matt Ventre