Game Master's Journey

Jan 29 2025 300 ep. 74 mins 1.6k

Game Master's Journey Podcast artwork

Game 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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Blood of the Avatars 33: Puff Puff Pass part 2 | GMJ 300

Jan 29 2025 91 mins

We return to the adventure with everyone present. Two weeks have passed in game time, while over four years has passed in the real world. This is part 2 of the session.

Blood of the Avatars 32: Puff Puff Pass part 1 | GMJ 299

Jan 29 2025 88 mins

We return to the adventure with everyone present. Two weeks have passed in game time, while over four years has passed in the real world.

Blood of the Avatars 31: Session Zero Number Two | GMJ 298

Jan 27 2025 138 mins

I’ve returned to my Blood of the Avatars D&D campaign after a four year hiatus. This is a session zero we had as we prepared to get the campaign going again.

You Can Do Anything! Improvisation vs. Preparation & Why Creating Balanced Encounters is a Pipe Dream | GMJ 297

Jul 01 2024 52 mins

Welcome to Season 17! I’ve returned to the show. In this episode I discuss how I’ve begun to improvise more and prepare less as a GM. I also talk about why the idea of creating balanced encounters is, and will always be, a fantasy.

Vampire: The Masquerade Part 3 | GMJ 296

Aug 29 2022 91 mins

I continue my overview of Vampire: the Masquerade by White Wolf Games. This week I talk about the virtues and humanity, backgrounds, diablerie, frenzy, rotschrek, and awarding and spending experience points.

Vampire: The Masquerade Part 2 | GMJ 295

Aug 22 2022 83 mins

I continue my overview of Vampire: the Masquerade by White Wolf Games. This week I go over the Disciplines—the various vampiric powers—as well as the clans of vampires. I also talk about generation and how the blood pool mechanics work.

Vampire: The Masquerade Part 1 | GMJ 294

Aug 15 2022 78 mins

I give an overview of Vampire: The Masquerade RPG by White Wolf Games. In this first part I talk about some of the things I’ve learned from Vampire that have made me the GM I am today. I discuss how the prelude concept from Vampire changed my games forever, and I’ll go over nature, demeanor, and personality archetypes in more detail.

The Storyteller System by White Wolf | GMJ 293

Aug 08 2022 96 mins

This week I give a brief introduction to the Storyteller RPG system by White Wolf. This is the system used for the World of Darkness games, including Vampire: the Masquerade, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Changeling: the Dreaming, Mage: the Ascension, and Wraith: the Oblivion. This versatile system is easy to learn, easy to teach, and easy to run, and it’s one of my favorites.

Adventure Paths, Mage & Vignettes | GMJ 292

Aug 01 2022 70 mins

Craig joins me again today to continue our discussion of his Mage chronicle. We talk more about the open-ended magic system of Mage and how, to a large degree, the biggest limitation is the players’ own imaginations. We also talk about Pathfinder’s Adventure Paths and how vignettes and preludes can add depth to the tabletop RPG experience.

Mage the Ascension & Mechanics- vs. Narrative-Focused Games | GMJ 291

Jul 25 2022 84 mins

Craig joins me to discuss his Mage chronicle he’s running. What is it like running a game where the player characters can do just about anything they can imagine? We also talk about the differences between more mechanics-focused games and more narrative-focused games.