Tips for the DM by Chasmyr

1)Geomorphs, which are small sections of predrawn maps, can be great for building quick cities and cave complexes. This can greatly cut down on map creation time.

2)I added a sewer layer to the back of all my city geomorphs, thus allowing a quick and easy sewers map.

3)I use a grid based map to show where the individual geomorphs are in relation to others.

4)A piece of clear plastic with contour lines laid out on it allows unique contours to be added to every geomorph.

5)Unique locales can be annotated using the grid map described in suggestion #3.

6)Insist that players bring photocopies of all aplicable rules and descriptions of their PCs. This eliminates page flipping in game. It also promotes player awareness of the details of their PCs and speeds game play.

7)A black marker can eliminate info from those copies in 6 above that you don't want the player to know. In this case, it is wise to keep your own copy!

8)Think survival-those monsters want to live! Remember that old adage "Run away! Run away! Live to fight another day!"

9)Groups of creatures bum-rushing mages and psionicists with metal helmets full of glue or tar are a quick and non-lethal(to the victim anyway) way of taking mages and psionicists out.

10)The Complete Book of Necromancers has tons of ideas, items, and spells for your favorite necromancer!

11)Creative Campaigning by TSR Inc. contains ideas for any DM who feels a little bit drained these days.

12)The Dungeon Builder's Guidebook is available for novice DMs. It is also a good resource for experienced DMs.

13)The Complete Book of Villains is an excellent resource for those of use with a malicious streak...aka:THE DM!

14)Ever wanted an easy to set up source for some of those bothersome cannon-fodder wannabe's known as PCs? Check out the orphanage!

15)Page protectors are extremely handy for covering those maps. Use grease pencils or dry-erase markers to write on them. If you want, you can laminate your maps, too.

More to come!