USA TODAY Bestseller

ENNIE Award Winner

Enter a world of heroism and adventure where you can become the ultimate Game Master, led by renowned mapmaking expert Justin Alexander.

Thanks to tabletop roleplay, millions of fans are creating unforgettable collaborative stories. No matter what roleplaying game you want to play, this book is the key to unlocking endless adventure!

Award-winning game designer Justin Alexander has created an incredible compendium of advice and maps, perfect for any aspiring Game Master. This book is packed with the strategies you need to create amazing dungeons, battles, roleplay encounters, and more. Full of practical, hands-on advice and sample maps, just reading the first chapter of this book will have you ready to run a game in less than an hour. From there, Justin teaches you all the skills and techniques you need to explore dungeons, solve mysteries, steal priceless artifacts, unravel strange conspiracies, and venture forth on epic journeys!

No matter what game you're playing, this book is the key to unlocking the limitless realms of your imagination.

Justin Alexander of The Alexandrian is back with another one-stop guide for tabletop enthusiasts. The wildly successful So You Want to Be a Game Master? focused on running tabletop games from the perspective of a Game Master. Now, Justin writes from the reader's perspective: how do you play a character like Legolas or Ned Stark? How do you interact with a world that is powered by your imagination (and requires cooperation with other players)? These are the questions Justin sets out to answer in this player-centric guide to tabletop roleplay, along with answers to other questions: how do you find the balance between optimization and fun? How do you learn to react to events in the moment, while also creating a character arc that's satisfying to follow?

Written with beginner players in mind, this book explains everything someone would need to know to start telling collaborative, fantastical stories with their friends.