Gamemastering Secrets

The Gamemaster's Web

Gaming Resources: Magazines & Journals

Although there were a number in ages pass, nowadays here are very few surviving "print" periodicals for roleplaying gamers. However, some of the publications have survivied by going online. There are online publications which have a regular (e.g. weekly, monthly) publication schedule, and which might still be called "periodicals". Others post new articles and colunms whenever they get them (either infrequently or almost every day). The quality of these magazines and journals vary, but a GM can find good, useful information in many of them.

• Print Magazines
• Fee-based online periodicals
• Free online periodicals
• APAs

Print Magazines

• Games Unplugged is a full-color monthly magainze for the game fanatic. Features articles about games, designers, and industry news.

• Dragon Magazine is one of the most venerable magazines in the roleplaying game business. Long published as the AD&D house organ of TSR and then Wizards of the Coast, it is now published by Paizo Publishing as the official D&D magazine.

• Dungeon Magazine, also published by Paizo Publishing, is a source of adventures for D&D and D20.

Online Fee-Based Perodicals

• Did you like Steven Marsh's "Treasure" article in Gamemastering Secrets? As the editor, Steven has a weekly column in Pyramid Online. It's chock full of good tips for gamemasters.

  Pyramid Magazine is the Origins-award wining online magazine published by Steve Jackson Games, the publishers of GURPS, In Nomine, Ogre, and other games. It is a weekly online magazine that features articles about gaming, including roleplaying games. In addition, it has a set of members-only discussion boards, and MOO/chat area which somtimes holds discussions with featured guests. Playtesting for SJ Games products (and for products of some other companies) occcurs on the discussion boards of Pyramid.

• Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society is an online magazine much like Pyramid, that provides supports for all things Traveller. It is also published by Steve Jackson Games, the publishers of the licensed GURPS Traveller line.

• 

  Each issue of d20 Weekly contains articles, columns, reviews, news, and more for your d20 campaigns. Contributors include Steve Perrin, Chris Pramas, Matt Forbeck, Steve Kenson, Steve Miller, Dennis Detwiller, Mike Mearls, Andrew Hind, and Alan Kohler. The Editor is Dale Donovan, former editor of DRAGON. Check out the four free issues at www.d20weekly.com.

Online Free Perodicals

• Plaes to Go, People to Be is an internet fanzine (based in Austrailia) devoted to roleplaying and roleplaying gamers. Although it claims to publish on a non-determininstic schedule, it is currently putting out a new issue every 2-3 months.

• RPG Times is a monthly RPG online periodical which has been putting out issues since 1996.

• The Guild Companion is a free monthly online magazine which aims to provide quality articles, fiction, and reviews for all gamers.

• Fudge Factor is an online fanzine dedicated to the Fudge RPG. While many of the articles here are Fudge-specific, there are also many articles which will be of general use to any GM.