Reviews

Daniel Wood, 2013
Odyssey

Along with our “try before you” buy samples of our books, we also love connecting folks with reviews. This page collects links to every review we could find for all of our products.

This is a long page, so here are shortcuts that will jump you to each book:

Eureka: 501 Adventure Plots to Inspire Game Masters
Focal Point: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Running Extraordinary Sessions
Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game
Never Unprepared: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Session Prep
Odyssey: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Campaign Management
Unframed: The Art of Improvisfation for Game Masters

Eureka: 501 Adventure Plots to Inspire Game Masters

Reviews

Kobold Quarterly review by award-winning game designer Wolfgang Baur — “Much more than a simple book of plots, Eureka! stands as one of those essential tools that GMs and game designers will find themselves reaching for again and again.”
Gaming Brouhaha review — “This is a great book, which is just as useful for a novice game master as someone who has been running RPG games for decades.”
Gamer: The Blogging review — “There have been a ton of products on this subject over the years, and they’ve always fallen short for me. Not so with Eureka.” (Ron also posted an update a few months later, in his review of our second book, Masks: “UPDATE: I still use it. I used it a couple weeks ago. No one’s changed my opinion of its status as the best RPG plot book ever.)
Nuketown review — “All of these plots would be useless if you couldn’t find them, but thankfully Eureka is exceptionally well organized. In fact, it’s the most organized RPG resource I’ve ever read.”
Stargazer’s World review — “So why should any GM get Eureka? In my humble opinion it’s the most useful tool a gamemaster could probably have.”
Neuroglyph Games review — “Eureka (501 Adventure Plots to Inspire Game Masters) is really a remarkable ebook, and certainly one that can be easily recommended for not only D&D 4E Dungeon Masters, but for anyone choosing to take on the task of Game Mastering any Role-Playing Game.”
RPGnet review — “This product delivers exactly what it promises and will enliven my campaigns for years to come.”
Blogcritics review — “This book should be like crack to not only roleplayers in general and gamemasters (GMs) in specific, but should also provide infinite ideas for novelists and short story writers seeking inspiration for their own works.”
RPG Blog II review — “If you’re a Game Master who likes a little help with his brainstorming, Eureka will be a welcome addition to your bookshelf, virtual or otherwise.”
Fantasy Hrvatska review in Croatian (English auto-translation) — “There is no doubt – Eureka: 501 Adventure Plots to Inspire Game Masters is a terrific reference book that could (and should!) be found on the shelf of every GM.”
Veg-Geek review — “So far I have been very happy with the results in play nothing feels like a canned adventure, and everything has been very easy to tweek and put into my campaign.“
Tenkar’s Tavern review — “Did I mention this is a full bookmarked PDF? And that they are further broken down by Dramatic Structure? Nicely done. This, my iPad and Goodreader will have me making notes right on the PDF for the plots I want to use.“
Halfway Station review — “This is a useful addition to my GM’s Shelf of Wonders, which I can turn to when other inspiration fails so long as I have an hour or two’s warning of a game session.“
The Most Unread Blog Ever review — “Unless you just never, ever get stuck for ideas, then this is practically a must-buy for any GM.“
Hamishakia review in Hebrew (English auto-translation) — “‘Eureka’ promises 501 concise plots, ready to be used straight from the book into tonight’s game. As a big fan of gaming PDFs, I’ve bought over a hundred such books over the last few years and I’ve seen these sort of promises often. Eureka delivers and delivers well, making it one of the best purchases I can think of, easily fitting into my top ten.“
Gry Fabularne review in Polish (English auto-translation) — “Eureka useful when conducting learns about the session literally fifteen minutes before its start. Fan the several manual pages, choose one of the ideas and link it with the characters of the players.“
DriveThruRPG reviews from customers and reviewers:

(five stars) “Fourth, it is noteworthy that there are no real repetitions, not even cross-genre. Each of the 501 plots is unique, maybe sometimes similar in the initial situation to an earlier plot, but in its meat a beast of its own. — Ranjith E. M.”
(five stars) “This book is very well written and provides lots of easily expandable/tweakable plots that work with any system.” — David R.
(five stars) “This is truly a fantastic product. The writers and editors put in a lot of work to “get it right,” and it certainly pays off.” — Christopher Heard
(five stars) “I’ve spent a lot more money on things to try to get a better adventure than I have on this and come away from it with a lot less, if you want to get some surefire adventures, look no further than Eureka!” — Erathoniel Woodenbow
(five stars) “This is a book that any GM should have. Period.” — Chad Stevens
(five stars) “Compares very favorably to the “Seeds” (supers/western/pulp) and the 100 (planets/adventures/conspiracies) series.” — Tim Loud
(four stars) “This is a good book for GMs wanting to put some fun hooks into their games.” — NB Neil
(four stars) “Great product. it really helps get the creative juices flowing when you are having problems coming up with adventure ideas.” — Ronald Watkins
(five stars) “This is one of that books that should be kept right behind GM screen (or in a writer secret drawer) to express its full potential.” — Paulo Pustorino
(five stars) “ This book is very well written and provides lots of easily expandable/tweakable plots that work with any system.” — David R.

Customer Comments

Here’s a sampling of the awesome things we’ve heard from GMs about Eureka:

“Eureka has been my savior so many times over.” — Austen Woods
“Really, As a gm, this has literally opened up years of games for my group…” — Frank P.
“Thoroughly enjoying Eureka. I’m still only on pg. 95 of 314. Can’t believe how much you guys stuffed into this book.” — Andrew Judge
“I love my copy of Eureka!!” — Nateal Erickson
“Thanks for such a great product!” — Twenty-year veteran gamer from Wellington, New Zealand
“I purchased Eureka at Gencon and I absolutely love it.” — Ken F.
“501 Adventures that have been scrubbed of mechanics. Made of awesome and win.” — Marcel Beaudoin
“Eureka is a superb resource for GMs. For me it is a great source of inspiration and it has opened up ideas for game genres where I’d previously suffered from writer’s block. There’s enough material in the book to keep you going for years. I recommend Eureka to any GM.” — Mike Jensen, Auckland New Zealand

Articles

Wired: GeekDad blogger Daniel Donahoo says: “In my reading, I found myself getting excited about writing up one of those epic campaigns again!“
UncleBear: Berin Kinsman talks about Eureka as a campaign planning tool
Critical Hits: The Chatty DM breaks down Eureka from his perspective: “This product is ideal for GMs that want to create their own adventures but need help to kick start their creative muscles.“
Newbie DM: The Newbie DM says “This book is a treasure trove for the DM like me, who sometimes has to find inspiration in order to create stories.“
Campaign Mastery (take one): Johnn Four of Roleplaying Tips likes Eureka’s plot format, and has shared his own plot stat block for readers to use
Campaign Mastery (take two): Mike Bourke discusses Eureka’s GMing advice, building organized, Eureka-style plots, and using Eureka plots in character creation

Podcasts

Game Master’s Journey, Episode 69
Order 66 Podcast (MP3) did a one-hour show with Eureka design team members Phil Vecchione and Martin Ralya about the book, Gnome Stew, and how Star Wars GMs can use Eureka.
Atomic Array showcased Eureka and had several of the book’s designers on to discuss the book.
3.5 Private Sanctuary offers up a 30-minute interview covering the origins of Eureka and Gnome Stew, using Eureka, and its utility for Pathfinder/D&D 3.5e GMs
The Tome Show interviewed Eureka author and designer Patrick Benson about the book.

Focal Point: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Running Extraordinary Sessions

Reviews

RPGGeek review — “Focal Point tries hard to provide a wide-ranging trove of GMing advice, and it mostly succeeds. It covers a tremendous range of skills that a great GM should have.“
Age of Ravens review — “This is a solid smart book with focused chapter topics. It’s definitely worth picking up if you’re open to advice on GMing. Right now I’d say this series of three books, plus Unframed, offers the best GMing advice from multiple voices and perspectives.“
Disorganized Play video review — “It’s very quick, approachable sections of GMing, and that will be, I think, useful[…]“
Hamishakia review (in Hebrew) (auto-translated English version) — “Focal Point is particularly useful to GMs who need to diagnose what they’re having trouble with. If I know I have a problem with my GMing, but am not sure what it is, the book will be of great help in finding that out. Most chances are that it will also point me in the right direction to solve the issue. Reading alone will probably help a lot, but doing the challenges will increase the benefit several times over.“
DriveThruRPG reviews from customers and reviewers:

(5 stars) “ I think this might be my new favorite of all the books from Engine publishing and the trio of writers.“
(1 star) “The example group is just terrible.” — Dan E.

Podcasts and Articles

Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game

Reviews

Critical Hits review — “What I’m saying is that GMs out here need this book. You may be fine coming up with awesome NPCs on your own and don’t think you need something like this, and what I’m telling you is that this book is more than just a thousand characters, it’s a million stories.“
Gamer: The Blogging review — “From the very start, the NPCs are interesting and thoughtfully designed, especially compared to what most GMs get when they truly have to make up an NPC on the fly. I found myself wanting to know more about these people–always a good sign.“
EN World review — “I have to say that I am really impressed with Masks: 1000 Memorable NPCs for Any Role-Playing Game, and it is a tremendous supplement, one that any game master should consider adding to their library.“
Obsidian Portal podcast review — “I could gush and gush about this, but this book is something that I would really highly recommend that GMs pick up and have in their repertoire.”
Fantasy Hrvatska review (also available in Croatian) — “The authors of Masks definitely exceeded the expectations set by their previous offering, Eureka. The greatest strength of this book, however, is the simplicity of its use and effectiveness in the situation which is needed the most by any GM – when there’s no or little time for prep.“
Newbie DM review — “At first glance, it seems simple, but as you read some of these NPC’s, you’ll find that there are hidden gems there to spark your imagination and create stories around these personalities.“
Stargazer’s World review — “A lot of the NPCs can also be used as inspiration for a whole adventure. Especially some of the villains are extremely cool. I can’t wait to put some of those to good use. Masks is definitely a book that should not be missing from any GM’s bookshelf!“
RPG Blog II review — “If Eureka was Engine Publishing’s rookie entry in the field of GM’s aid supplements, Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs is where they show what they’ve learned. It would be a disservice to simply call this a big book of Non-Player Characters. Masks is a system-neutral, well-organized treasury of memorable, easy-to-use NPCs that will add to any Game Master’s arsenal.“
Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer review — “Overall, Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game is an impressive product that fills a particular, specific niche in a manner that is very difficult to top.“
Pulp Gamer’s Out of Character podcast review — (starts at 21:30) “…it is really different from any other NPC collection I’ve seen, for the use of the way that they organized the book.“
Diehard GameFAN review — “Without reservation, I can see any GM, no matter what their system of choice is, getting plenty of use out of Masks.“
Ruthless Diastema podcast review — “So there is much, much, much in this book for the gamer and the teacher. Great resource.“
Game Knight Reviews review — “But what really makes this book shine beyond the sheer number of NPCs is the collection of indices at the end. The Gnomes manage to slice and dice this content just about every way you can think of — it’s almost like a paper database…“
Paging through the Core Rulebook review — “If you buy one gaming supplement this month, this year, make it this one. You may never read it cover to cover, but I guarantee that you will use it more than you think you will.“
Halfway Station review — “The groups index is interesting, because I can select (for example) Elite Thieves or Assassination Team and find a group of half a dozen NPCs who collectively would form that group. This is a nice way of setting up (say) rival adventuring parties.“
Roleplaying Tips review — “While the sheer number of NPCs may seem intimidating to new GMs, finding the perfect candidate for any session is as easy as it is enjoyable; making Masks a super addition to any GM’s toolkit.“
Wired.com review — “Eureka is a great product and one which I would wholeheartedly recommend to people — there’s something in here for everyone, whether you’re struggling to create your first adventure, are suffering from a creative block, or just want to break out of a rut.“
Hamishakia review in Hebrew (English auto-translation) — “‘Masks’ is longer and fancier than its predecessor, ‘Eureka’, and it maintains the latter’s high level of quality and usefulness. Much thought was put into Eureka’s design and even more was put into Masks’. As I wrote earlier, this is how a game book should look, especially in PDF, and this is how such information should be presented.“
Veg-Geek review — “Masks is the go to book at my table. Every game I have GMed in my home game or at the local gaming convention, Con of the North has felt the influence of this book. Any system, any genre its the place to go for on the fly NPCs or a pivotal character in the plot I have found both. Even the format of the entries has become my default method for NPC write ups, Yup the book is just that good.“
Nuketown review — “Like Eureka! a lot of the value in this book lies in inspiration. Sure, it’s great when you can pluck an NPC from its pages and use it as is, but it’s also excellent kindling for igniting your own creative fires.“
The Iron Tavern review — “This is the only book I have used for each game session and taken with me to each session. The main rule book we use doesn’t even get used as much as this book.“
RPGGeek review — “This is a very useful book. It is particularly useful in session prep.“
DriveThruRPG reviews from customers and reviewers:

(five stars) “The primary use for me is to inspire me to go a few steps deeper in introducing and portaying characters. Out-of-character descriptions have become more complete, without taking more game time.” — Customer
(five stars) “I’ve already used a couple of the NPCs with little or no adjustment and the players in my game absolutely loved the detail and interaction these new NPCs provided.” — David R.
(five stars) “Each NPC is vivid and brimming with personality, and I’m getting plot ideas from each one I come across.” — Nearly enough Dice Podcast
(five stars) “I feel that this book will enhance your game and further, will guide you into designing and orating better NPCs of your own.” — Timothy Bane
(five stars) “Incredible.” — Tim Loud
(five stars) “Another excellent item for any GM (no matter what genre).” — David Tannen
(five stars) “…simply put, buy this book.” — Paulo Pustorino
(five stars) “Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game could be a candidate for one of the best GM tools ever, at least in my book.” — William Walton
(four stars) “A very helpful supplement in my opinion.” — NB N
(five stars) “The proof is in the pudding: Masks is a supplement that I’ll be keeping nearby and consulting frequently as I plan and run RPG adventures of all sorts.” — Christopher H.
(five stars) “This book was good. Thousands of NPC-ideas, funny and epic, good and evil, everything you need.” — Sebastian S.
(five stars) “My homebrew campaign is too different to use most published FRP resources, but I found many usable NPCs in this product.” — Dan H.
(five stars) “I’ve already used a couple of the NPCs with little or no adjustment and the players in my game absolutely loved the detail and interaction these new NPCs provided.” — David R.

Podcasts and Articles

Game Master’s Journey, Episode 69
The Jennisodes podcast (ep. 57) — Don Mappin and Martin Ralya talk with Jenn about Masks, Engine Publishing, and related topics.
Atomic Array (ep. 058) — Phil Vecchione and Martin Ralya chat with Ed and Rone about how Masks was designed, and they put us on the spot by asking us to generate plots around Masks NPCs on the fly.

Never Unprepared: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Session Prep

Reviews

Stargazer’s World review — “You may think that you already know everything there is to know about prep, but trust me reading someone else’s words on the matter can give you a new perspective on things.“
Misdirected Mark review — “This weekend I ran another session of my longest ongoing campaign but the new twist was I used Never Unprepared, by Phil Vecchione, and published through Engine Publishing, to Prep for it. I’ll be honest, it was really useful.“
Tenkar’s Tavern review — “How are the tools that are presented to you? Excellent. You probably don’t need to use all of the methods presented, and you will certainly be adjusting and tweaking what is presented to conform to your style of creativity and game mastering needs, but the tools and techniques are extremely useful.“
Stuffer Shack review — “As far as putting the book to the test, I’m confident that it passed. I am fully ready for our next session, and look forward to preparing future sessions. I seriously doubt there will be any more procrastinating or flying by the seat of my pants, because I feel that I now have the tools to prepare correctly, confidently, and to full effect.“
RoleplayDNA review — “Gnome Stew has hit another home run for the Game Master. Never Unprepared has earned a permanent place in my GM toolbox, right along side the likes of Robin’s Laws of Good Game Mastering, Hamlet’s Hit Points, Play Dirty, Eureka, and Masks. Highly recommended.“
Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer review — “Never Unprepared is a definite must-have for any GM. New GMs can learn a lot from this book, picking up the good habits that will serve them well into their latter years of GMing. I would go as far as to put it on the same level as Robin’s Laws of Good Game Mastering in terms of usefulness to anyone who takes the art (and science) of GMing seriously and is looking to improve his craft.“
What Do I Know? review — “Between having some actual guidelines for steps to follow, and some rudimentary work on what days I should do those steps on in order to not have to do everything at the last minute, I actually found the two sessions I’ve prepped in the time since I’ve read the book to be less stressful.“
RPGnet review — “The Prep-Lite and Prep in a Real World chapters help you compensate when you cannot properly prepare for a game. These sections go beyond the “how to” guidelines of most gamemaster tip articles.“
RPGnet review — “A “Prep-Lite” approach is also explored with emphasis on a GM relying on their strengths, use of quick tags for NPCs, abstract mechanical elements, and simplified mapping approaches which correlate to story paths (rather like the logical path layout of text-based adventure games).“
Wampus Country review — “Never Unprepared is good. No, it’s really good. When somebody recommends Robin’s Laws, I roll my eyes a little, because I didn’t much care for it. But I like Never Unprepared; it’s so full of good ideas and techniques that even if you don’t use some of them right now, you might want them when you reread the book next year. You heard me, reread it next year.“
Keith Davies — In My Campaign review — “A very good addition to my bookshelf. I’ll be going over my own practices and templates to see where I can improve them — I don’t doubt that I can, using this book.“
Big Blue Die review — “I can think of no GM who would not benefit from reading this volume. New GMs, struggling GMs, experienced GMs, even ad lib GMs confident in their ability to “wing it”, will find invaluable information within.“
The Iron Tavern review — “This book was very good. This book should be standard issue to any new GM or any GM that says they simply don’t have time to run a game anymore as real life responsibilities increase.“
Jennisodes review — “This book goes through all the aspects of preparing for a game. There is a lot of great information in the book along with tips and tricks to help a GM get ready for the next game session.“
Flames Rising review — “In retrospect, I think I now know why this subject matter hadn’t been covered before now. I think it was waiting for Phil Vecchione to cover it. […] I believe that if given the chance, he will forever change your GM methods as well, and for the better.“
Diehard GameFAN review — “Even folks who have been running games for a long time will find something in here that they look at and say “hey, that’s not a bad idea”. This guy is serious about his GM-ing, and he wants you to be too, if you have the will.“
Evil Machinations review — “Never Unprepared showed me what I’m missing. Whether you’ve been GMing thirty years or thirty days, you’ll find something helpful in this book. There’s really new information in the book. I often found myself thinking “Yeah, I knew that.” But I’d never thought about it in such a cohesive way.“
RPGGeek review — “So overall I was very impressed by the book. It had an immediate impact on my game preparation and an immediate positive impact on my next gaming session.“
Master of the Game review — “This is where Vecchione’s handy guide excels–shattering the myths that I suspect a lot of game masters have about their session notes. It’s clear that Vecchione “gets it”.“
Second Left RPG review — “In many ways it’s a self help book to give you the push towards thinking in a more efficient way about the approach you take to gaming prep.“
Hamishakia review in Hebrew, part one (English auto-translation) — “To summarize, Never Unprepared is a valuable essay which assigns great importance to a key part in game writing that hasn’t got much attention until now.“
RPGGeek review — “Even GMs who think they have it all figured out need to read this book. This might be the best book I have read for GMs.“
No Ordinary Obsession review — “I ran across Never Unprepared at my friendly local gaming shop (FLGS) a few months ago and it is chock full of useful advice for anyone who is GMing, from first timers to people with decades of experience like myself.“
Game Master’s Journey, episode 56 — “This book is an excellent resource for GMs, and I learned a lot from it. Not only does it give you pointers on preparing for an RPG session, but it also helps you to figure out how to make your prep work for you and how to use it to shore up your weaknesses as a GM. I think this is a useful resource for ALL GMs.“
DriveThruRPG reviews from customers and reviewers:

(three stars) “If I can talk my new group into committing to a campaign one day, I’ll probably be more glad I read this.” — Elizabeth A.
(five stars) “As a beginner GM this well structured text helped me get a good grasp and an overview on the different tasks involved in gamemastering.” — Markus D.
(five stars) “This book is pure gold.” — Sébastien T.
(four stars) “The book was inspirational — particularly the system for session documentation.” — Scott R.
(five stars) “Really, this book turns the GM’s prep work almost into exact science. It really puts things in a good perspective!” — Guntis V.
(five stars) “This is an excellent and important book. I can think of no GM who would not benefit from reading this volume.” — Matthew T.
(five stars) “This is some of the best Gamemaster advice I’ve ever read, and I’ve been GMing for almost twenty years, on a daily basis in some cases.” — Emily B.
(five stars) “I would recommend this book to anyone who feels overwhelmed by game prep.” — Stu V.
(five stars) “In Never Unprepared, Phil Vecchione helps you to analyze your own strengths and weaknesses, and to use your new self-awareness to improve your prep experiences.” — Chris H.
(one star) “Bottom line is that any book that wants to be “The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Session Prep” is going to face the problem that not everyone has the same issues with his prep and does not want to achieve the same things with his game.” — Jordan R.
(five stars) “I have been a GM for over two decades and I found this book had plenty of suggestions to make my session prep even easier.” — Michael H.
(five stars) “Never Unprepared is the perfect read for the perfect price.” — Alex N.
(five stars) “If you’re looking for tips about prep, and want to find a good mentality and methodology around it, then buy this book.” — Viktor V.
(five stars) “Recommended.” — Francesco B.
(five stars) “I wish I would have known about this earlier.” — Paul E.

Articles and podcasts

Never Unprepared has also been featured in articles and podcasts that look at the book from different angles:

Odyssey: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Campaign Management

Reviews

Critical Hits review — “If you’re planning on running a campaign, you’ll want this book.“
Gamer: The Blogging review — “After reading Odyssey, I came away feeling better about the mistakes I’ve made over the years, and feeling great about the things I know I’ve done well. I’m really excited to apply my newfound knowledge to future campaigns. This book will be a useful reference whenever I’m between sessions.“
Stargazer’s World review — “In my opinion Odyssey is a must-have for all newbie and veteran GMs out there who are interested in managing their campaigns better.“
RPGGeek review — “Having read a lot of “GM guides”, this is easily one of the most useful since its advice is much more practical and useful on a regular basis. As such it’s a book I would recommend to anyone and likely it’ll find it’s way on to my “holiday gift list” for a couple of my GM friends.“
Nearly Enough Dice review — “I would heartily recommend grabbing yourself a copy of this book and gets a full thumbs up from me. The advice available is useful and well thought out, and will improve your GM skills.“
RPGnet review — “Odyssey is a very well produced book that covers a great deal of material and does so in a well-structured manner, which at its best provided excellent insights from the world of project management into the world of RPG campaigns.“
What Do I Know? review — “I’d certainly recommend the book.“
Iron Tavern review — “The practical advice included in Odyssey is a methodical look at managing a successful campaign and avoiding common pitfalls, a welcome resource to both new GMs and seasoned GMs alike.“
Hamishakia review in Hebrew (English auto-translation) — “This is a professional book which was written by people familiar with a wide range of game systems and approaches on one hand and who understand the universal principles behind an enjoyable role playing game.“
Windsor Gaming Resource review — “Chapter 3: Starting Campaigns is probably my favourite chapter of the book. In it Phill talks about a whole slew of things I never even considered. This is the chapter that, upon reading, instantly changed the way I approach a new game with a new group.“
DriveThruRPG reviews from customers and reviewers:

(four stars) “Alessandro M.” — Alessandro M.
(five stars) “This book isn’t boring or dry, but lays out the facts that everybody has to usually learn the hard way. There are plenty of stories and examples for each stage, that helps break up the information dump that comes from such a book. The writing styles are clean and easy to read, without huge piles of abbreviations or in-jokes, which means even the newest of aspiring GMs can dig into this book and understand what it is trying to tell you.” — Nearly e. D. P.
(five stars) “Odyssey: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Campaign Management lives up to its name. There’s a lot to learn, and the book makes it easy.” — Jay S.A.
(three stars) “As what the author said at the beginning, it’s more like how to manage a campaign than how to design a campaign.” — VP401533 K.H.L.

Articles and Podcasts

Unframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters

Reviews

The Game’s the Thing review — “All in all, I think Unframed is a home run. It certainly provided me with new knowledge that will help me with my improv game, and it also managed to remind of GM techniques I’ve let move to the back burner, that definitely need to come back to the front.“
Windsor Gaming Resource review — “It does something that I think every good RPG advice book should do: makes you think. I couldn’t help but think about my own games and my own gaming style as I read through each of the 23 short essays.“
RPGGeek review — “The breadth of viewpoints is refreshing and expansive, the writing is very good, and I see myself pulling out these essays for inspiration or some problem-solving in the future.“
Age of Ravens review — “This book’s solid and specific advice make it a go-to volume for me from now on.“
Tenkar’s Tavern review — “I’ve always thought of myself as a decently skilled improviser as a DM, and yet I’ve added at least a dozen tricks to my repertoire and I’ve opened my eyes up to some techniques that will may the gaming sessions I run better.“
What Do I Know? review — “There are lots of great essays in the book. I enjoyed reading every one.“
Sean’s Pick of the Day review — “I’ve been doing this a long time. Many account me as one of the best improvisational GMs they’ve played with, and I am admittedly proud of that. This book teaches me to be so much better.“
In the Attic review — “Not only is this a book worth reading, but it is a absolutely must-read book.“
Smiling Jack’s Bar and Grill podcast review (also presented in an episode of the RoleplayDNA podcast, with the same audio) — “…while you might think, opening this book, it’s ‘how to make everything up on the fly,’ a lot of this is how to plan for improvisation. […] I will only end with ‘buy it.’“
Hamishakia review (in Hebrew) (auto-translated English version) — “For the beginner GM, this compilation contains quite a few important and useful tools. Even experienced GMs will find interesting things to ponder here.“
DriveThruRPG reviews from customers and reviewers:

(five stars) “Very readable, essily digestable, good selection of contributors, and useful hints, tips, tools, and strategies towards more flexible, improvises style games.” — David B.
(five stars) “ Great articles that really got me thinking, from the greatest minds in tabletop RPG.” — Joel W.
(three stars) “As a bonus, the essays in this text are all really well-written and an entertaining read. Anecdotes and examples are often amusing and drive the points described home.” — Ranjith E.M.