Minimalism had really hooked me. Less stuff, less clutter, less to do, less to worry about all appeal to me. Having a simple, organized living space and workspace leads to less cluttered thinking and more progress towards goals.

Similarly, at the game table, if the GM can run the game just as effectively with less stuff, it serves multiple ends.

1. There is less at the table to get in the way of the players and the GM seeing everyone around the table, and anything of importance on the table.
2. The game is focused on the fun and not paper shuffling and rules lookups.
3. The GM has less to carry, and is less likely to get a sore back or neck form carrying a lot.
4. The less need there is for a large space for a large table to play. GM and players can just sit around the living room.
5. Players have more room for their character sheet and notes if they are organized and know the rules that apply to their characters, such as combat and spells.

To accomplish minimalism at the table for the GM, there are several things to aid with that. I put out a call for comments and suggestions on this topic across all my social media. I had several suggestions on my G+ page.

Suggestions

1. Organization.
   My 2 cents – A system that works for the GM to keep notes, encounter tables, rules references, etc. in a clear and concise, easily accessible manner will simplify running the game and reduce stress of the GM and add to the enjoyment of all. 
   I think my number one tip is find the organization system that works for you to keep your campaign notes & individual game notes organized. Through running games figure out what you don’t need. Make a checklist of all you take to the actual game. Then cross off what’s not used.
   
2. A DM Journal and Index Cards.
   Colin Green – I try and bring my stuff together into a DM journal, combined with index cards. The index cards have things like monsters, encounters, magic items, NPC’s. The journal has plot/story info, notes, maps, random tables. I try to leave rule books away from the table, forgotten rules are subject to rulings.
3. Write in it, re-draw, revise.
   David Shugars – If you’re running from a module, write in it! 5e is terrible about information presentation so my Curse of Strahd book had all the monster stats written in sharpie in the margins.
   Aside from that, don’t be afraid to re-draw maps and re-key encounters. Here’s a Dyson map I’ve adapted for my next session, scaled down to fit inside my A5 campaign notebook:
   
   
   
   1. Colin Green – that’s perfect, it’s amazing what you can include in a relatively small footprint, with a bit of thought. I’m dropping from A4 to A5 and use a similar approach.
   2. Brett Slocum – When using a campaign Journal like that I like to prep on one page and leave the other page blank. That way you can write notes while you’re playing about what happens, who they meet, the names of things and people.
   3. Me – Players can make their own notebook to track the character’s and party’s progress on adventures. This ties in to my ideas on organization above. Whether you use a BuJo or other journaling method, or a binder instead of a journal, find what works for you. There are lots of YouTube channels on how different people use Bullet Journals. The G+ Community, Bullet Journal for Game Masters has lots of ideas for using the Bullet Journal method to organize one’s campaign.
4. Simple Rules.
   Brett Slocum – One of my methods for con games is using a simple system like The Black Hack that doesn’t require much referencing to run. I never have to look up bonuses or penalties or most other things. I take the rules but rarely reference them.
5. Sit alongside the Players.
   Steve Hartline – If I’m well versed in the rule set, I like to sit along side the players. I still have a screen where I’ll keep items that are necessary for that particular session, but I try to limit my time behind the screen (index cards and a 3 ring binder). This setup actually encourages more immersive role playing IMHO.

Jay Murphy of The Vanishing Tower Blog and Podcast has 3 Maxims of Gaming that I think tie into my ideas of minimalism at the table. He explains them in three episodes of his Anchor podcast:

1. GM must have a firm grip on the genre.
2. System Matters, But It Doesn’t 
3. Must have Players who do stuff.

Glen Halstrom of the Old Man Grognard YouTube channel and Radio Grognard podcast on Anchor mentions what he does to get organized to run games on several episodes. In particular, he discusses stat blocks that take a single line next to the creature on encounter tables.  

I’ve gotten behind on all the great podcasts on Anchor, and am not up to speed on the latest from Glen. He has episodes about quickie prep, what’s in his game bag, and organization. 

I like hearing how others do things, and if there’s a quick tip that is easy to work into my process, I take it.

More Tips

There are a few other things that I do to simplify running games.

• I make a long list of names and put a tick mark when I use a name. I’m not afraid to re-use a name, as some names are common, like John.
• I give tips to players to help them run their characters. For example, for spell casters, I tell them to note the page number of their spells next to the spell name on their character sheet. I forget where I first heard that, but it is a major time saver.
• I generate weather for a year at a time and put it on the campaign calendar.
• I generate an annual and monthly events, modeled after the tables in Oriental Adventures, and put on the campaign calendar.
• I imagine and think about my campaign setting/world and use my visual memory of real places to help me create my world in my mind so I can describe it to players. By seeing this in my mind I am able to run the town episodes without a map, or describe the location in the nearby dungeon from memory. 
  • I have figured out how to do a mind palace without being intentional about it being a mind palace. 
• I’m not finding the note of where I heard this next bit, but I love it. Generate multiple die rolls for each type of die for secret rolls, like secret doors, random monster checks, etc. Cross of the roll when needed. Of course, you can roll dice to mess with your players, or for the real thing, but if you don’t want them to know you’re rolling, do that. This will be a new tool in my kit.
  • The person who suggested that, from a podcast, as I recall, also used these rolls for random room descriptions, treasure, etc.
  • This works with any number of random tables. The trick is to have enough random rolls for each die type to avoid running out.
  • Using this method, one can do away with pre-generating weather, and perhaps events for extended periods of time.
• I like a good random table that is easy to use and evokes lots of ideas. A collection of the right random tables for the genre and situation can spur all kinds of fun.
• Use the player’s ideas against them. Players always seem to get cross talk at the table and speculation. Even if they suggest something that is not the direction they think it’s going, encourage them to think and follow that. They create their own plot hooks and rumors.
• To avoid giving every NPC a name, have the NPC speak before the player’s do. for example, “The shopkeeper wants to know what you need”, or “How may I help you?” That was another one from a podcast.

Conclusion

Finding what works best for you to run a game at the table takes time. The more comfortable you are with running games in general, the easier it is to simplify. The right choice of rules that are either simple, or you feel comfortable with less rule books also aids in minimalism at the table.

It opens the opportunity to focus on running the game and the shared story that emerges through play. The old adage of rulings, not rules, makes it more evident that minimalism at the game table is one fruit of growing into the role of GM. With a simple one page map, and a page of notes, I can run a four hour con game. I can endure the chaos and clutter of developing the adventure to inform what notes I use to simplify what I need at the table.

I’d like to keep going with collecting tips for RPG minimalism for GMs and players. Comment here on the blog, or on any of my social media. I will add to this article and do a revised article. 

If you’re the source of an idea I mentioned, please let me know, I want to give credit where credit is due. I typed up my notes, and left off the source for a couple, and tossed the index cards it was written on.

Goals

Besides pen/pencil and paper for notes, and dice, I want to see how lean I can get when running games in person, especially at cons. Mining these tips, and any others that may be submitted or I find online for what I can most easily integrate into my own way of running games. A set of random tables for on the fly ideas and descriptions at the table. A list of NPC names, and simple stats for the creatures that will be encountered.

There are so many games that have an old school D&D core, that combat is run the same way. Except for non-D&D engines, which a simple GM screen can accommodate. If a GM screen doesn’t have the most pertinent rules for a GM to run the game, then it’s no good. I like cool art, but don’t put more effort into art than functionality.

I touched on the topic briefly on my podcast.