Good GMs Podcast

James Currie, Chuck Taylor
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Performing Arts
  • Updated Weekly

We’re James and Chuck, lifelong Game Masters who can’t stop thinking about role-playing games. We’ve spent years running sessions, building worlds, and discovering stories we never planned. Sometimes things work perfectly, and sometimes we screw up spectacularly, but we always learn, laugh, and lean on each other’s experience to make the next game even better. We don’t always agree, and that’s part of the fun. There's no right or wrong way to GM, just choices, surprises, and the joy of collaborative storytelling. Support Good GMs on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GoodGMsPodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoodGMsPodcast Anywhere You Stream: https://linktr.ee/GoodGMs Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584454320344 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodgmspod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@good.gms.podcast

  1. 6d ago ·  Video

    13 - Wake Up GM: A Knife Theory Mystery

    James and Chuckie are back to basics this week - no guests, just the two of them digging into one of the most useful GM tools you've probably never heard by name: Knife Theory. Originally posted to Reddit in 2017 by a guy named Jim Baby, Knife Theory is a way to get players to write backstories that you can actually use. The idea is simple: when players include certain elements in their character history, they're handing their GM a knife. A weapon you can pick up and use to pull that character deeper into the story. What's in the knife block: named NPCs, phobias, traumas, mysteries, enemies, obligations, crimes, heirlooms, secrets - and what makes each one useful at the table The difference between a sharp knife, a dull knife, and something that was never a knife to begin with Why 12 knives is too many and what happens when a player's backstory starts stabbing the rest of the party The double-bladed knife: what happens when you tie two backstory hooks together into one scene Chuckie walks through his character Finn Mueller's knives live - ex-thief, ex-soldier, one abusive uncle, a phobia of angry dogs, and a pocket watch he won't put down The debate: should you share your secrets with the whole party or keep them for the GM only? James and Chuckie don't agree. Send the knife list out before Session Zero - and what that looks like in practiceStay tuned to the end to hear about some upcoming guests...we're so proud of what we've got coming to close out August (it's not a knife!)  We've also launched our Twitch channel for August's Monster Hunters Club Actual Play and our member-only quarterly AP  - this time featuring our friend James Gordon Ross to close out Petey & Westmoreland's first ever time out of Vault 104! https://www.twitch.tv/goodgmspodcast Discord access & Actual Plays on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GoodGMsPodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoodGMsPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584454320344 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodgmspod/ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodgms.bsky.social TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@good.gms.podcast Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/goodgmspodcast

    13 - Wake Up GM: A Knife Theory Mystery

  2. Jul 17 ·  Video

    12 - Deathclaw Becomes Her

    The Fallout 2D20 actual play continues. James Gordon Ross is back as Overseer James, James is running Westmoreland the Mr. Handy, Chuckie Tee is Petey Redwing fresh out of Vault 101, and this time they've got backup — E.E. Morris of Radio Salad Studios joins as Shiloh, caravan guard, nine strength, spiked baseball bat, newly un-broken arm. Last time: bombs through windows, a stolen canteen, a ghoul bartender who was not impressed. This time: the Moriarty gang shows up to collect, led by Bobby Scratches — a 1,200-pound talking #Deathclaw in a tailored silk jacket and fedora who used to work for the Enclave and now runs loans. What Happens: Initiative in 2D20 — why Overseers need to think carefully or players feel robbed before they act Shiloh's Molotov catches a goon on fire, who shoots his own friend in the head while trying to stop drop and roll Kitchen Kit fires an Iron Man hand laser powered by his own battery — loses three hit points, vaporizes a goon's arm into red dust Westmoreland throws moonshine Molotovs with Demolition Expert and Pyromaniac perks, four successes, kills two goons and ruins Bobby Scratches' silk jacket How physical weapon AP spending works — Shiloh unloads nine strength, Heavy Handed, and three AP of bonus vicious damage on Bobby's burnt arm Bobby Scratches!This show is also available in video form! See our Patreon or check YouTube or Spotify!  Support the Show: https://www.patreon.com/GoodGMsPodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoodGMsPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584454320344 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodgmspod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@good.gms.podcast

    12 - Deathclaw Becomes Her

  3. Jul 10 ·  Video

    11 - Legends of the Fallout

    No more theory - this one is actual play so you can see exactly how 2D20 works at the table in real time. James Gordon Ross is back, this time as Overseer James, running James and Chuckie through a live Fallout 2D20 play. Tune in for the conclusion next week. Chuckie's playing Petey Redwing, vault dweller, level two, first day above ground. James is playing Westmoreland, his loyal Mr. Handy with a flamethrower and questionable medical skills. Mission: negotiate a trade agreement with Megaton. Problem: zero caps, zero water, and a GM who is not going easy on them. What Happens: First roll of the session is a difficulty zero Science check and Petey immediately...well, welcome to 2D20. How action points, momentum, and assists actually work when you're figuring it out in real time Gobtholomew the ghoul bartender, who has no interest in anyone who can't pay Shiloh, a caravan guard with a badly set broken arm and a lead on abandoned chems in Deathclaw territory Kit, a Schlocket Industries robot who steals Petey's canteen A bottle cap mine through a bar window, then a second one, and Westmoreland pulling off a six-success defuseAlso: Weird Candy joins the Patreon at the Gooder tier. Welcome! The Discord is getting active this month. We're adding the GM Book Club in August, where we can read and work through sourcebooks and GM guides together - don't act like you don't have a stack of them too - and we have casual gaming tables where members can run games of their own or join pickup games for a session or two. And starting soon, Currie will be running Friday night games for members at the free level and above on our Twitch channel - starting with Monster Hunter's Club, set in his own hometown of Barrie, Ontario. So come on out! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GoodGMsPodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoodGMsPodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@good.gms.podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584454320344  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodgmspod/

    11 - Legends of the Fallout

  4. Jul 3 ·  Video

    10 - Mo'diphius Better Blues

    James Gordon Ross returns to teach James and Chuckie the 2D20 system (Modiphius), using his 120-session Fallout campaign as the working example. A real toolbox episode for anyone curious about momentum-based dice systems. ✨Pro-Tips✨ How momentum works: extra successes roll into a shared pool the whole party can spend from, so one hot roller can carry the table Threat: the GM's mirror currency, and why players almost never spend it to buy extra dice, even after 120 sessions of chances Why even a "boring" roll, like diagnosing an injury, can generate momentum and matters more than it looks on paper How contested rolls work versus a flat difficulty, using an arm-wrestling example to break it down Chuckie's go-to litmus test for sizing up any new system: how do you do a headshot? A quick aside on what different systems call their GM (Keeper, Overseer, Dean, Marshall) and why that title hints at the kind of game you are playingAlso in this one: a Savage Worlds East Texas University one-shot recap, a peek at Daggerheart character creation, and the usual chaos of recording live. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GoodGMsPodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoodGMsPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584454320344  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodgmspod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@good.gms.podcast#GoodGMs #tabletoprpg #TTRPG #gamemaster #gmtips #dungeonmaster #npcs #CallOfCthulhu #SavageWorlds #etu #roleplayinggames #ttrpgcommunity #PodcastForGMs #tabletopgaming #modiphius #esoteric #daggerheart #2d20 #2d20system #fallout2d20

    10 - Mo'diphius Better Blues

  5. Jun 26 ·  Video

    9 - Every NPC Everywhere All At Once

    James and Chuckie talk about one of the most underrated GM skills out there — making NPCs that your players actually give a damn about. Chuckie's got a gift for this stuff. The voices, the dialogue, running full conversations between characters — James has been wanting to pick his brain about it for a while, and this episode is the result.  ✨Pro-Tips✨ Props, even imaginary ones, are Chuckie's go-to trick for snapping into a character fast. Give your NPC a tie, a pair of glasses, a way they fidget — and suddenly you've got someone to play. He tells the story of Cockroach, from his Vampire: The Masquerade campaign. Sophisticated guy. Always adjusting the tie.  You don't have to do the voices! Seriously. If you can't do accents, don't. Tell the table someone has a deep southern drawl and their brain fills it in for free. That's the Welcome to Night Vale trick — the audience's mind canon does the heavy lifting. The catchphrase is a prop too  Trust yourself. Start with motivation and let the character build in real time. If you commit to it and you're having fun with it, your players are going to want to come back. Happy Canada Day buds, get out there and give'er! Support Good GMs on Patreon: Free! Or let us help you launder money on our $99 tier https://www.patreon.com/GoodGMsPodcast  Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoodGMsPodcast Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3XSYh258bxrIjYuZpmdw2R Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-gms-podcast/id1851312721 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodgmspod

    9 - Every NPC Everywhere All At Once

  6. Jun 19 ·  Video

    8 - The Devil Wears Plot Armour

    Chuckie is off causing rambunction in Ann Arbor, so host James Austin Currie is joined by returning favourite and expert GM, James Gordon Ross, neither of whom, despite having three names, are serial killers.  In this episode, the bois dive deep into the machinations of the Big Bad. Whether you're running a globe-spanning cosmic horror campaign or a politically charged city-wide game, handling your main villain effectively is what separates a good game from an unforgettable one. ✨Pro-Tips✨ Pacing and "Setting the Clock" Balancing urgency without driving your players into paralyzing paranoia is incredibly tough. Ross compares pacing to canoeing: it requires constant, subtle course corrections. If the players are dragging their feet, remind them of the time limit ; if they're rushing past great roleplaying opportunities, ease off the gas. Building a Skin-Crawling Villain The best villains are a dark mirror of your player characters. By letting a campaign "cook" for the first 15 to 20 sessions with low-level monster hunts , a GM can observe what the players truly care about and tailor the ultimate villain to target those specific moral values and vulnerabilities. The "Barely Succeeded" Illusion: Always make your players feel like they just scraped by. Spin the narrative so it feels like their clever tactics completely caught the villain off guard, even if you planned it that way. Poking the Party: Use dream sequences, bizarre realizations of cosmic horror, or eerie, untraceable telegrams to subtly pull your players back onto the main plot without heavy-handed railroading.One of Us...One of Us.... Slendermans? In MY walls? Our Discord can help 👉  www.patreon.com/GoodGMsPodcast/membership The true horror: Facebook  www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584454320344 Perceive thyself and recoil on Instagram: www.instagram.com/goodgmspod/ We all know what's wrong with YouTube: www.youtube.com/@GoodGMsPodcast

    8 - The Devil Wears Plot Armour

  7. Jun 12 ·  Video

    7 - The Silence Of The Players

    Don’t take a quiet player personally. If they're showing up to your table, they want to be there. As a GM, your job isn't to force them into the spotlight, but to figure out why they’re quiet and give them the space to step up when they’re ready. James and Chuckie break down the different flavors of silent players you'll meet at the table: The Unsure Player: Common in convention one-shots. They love the idea of the game but are hit with immediate "deer in the headlights" syndrome when looking at a complex character sheet. The Tired Player: They might just be exhausted after a brutal work week. Give them some grace. The Overshadowed Player: The shy player who tries to speak, but gets drowned out by the louder, more dominant personalities at the table.✨Pro-Tips✨ Instead of asking a quiet player what they want to do, ask them to help build the world. Next time they walk into a shop, ask the quiet player to give you one physical or social description of the NPC behind the counter. It builds instant ownership. Give Them a Purpose: In a campaign setting, weave the player's backstory directly into the main plot. James recalls an ETU campaign where a quiet player completely transformed into a party leader after discovering his character’s family lineage of vampire hunters. Roll First, Describe Second: When a quiet player hits a successful roll, step back and ask them, "In your head, tell us what just happened." It hands them the narrative reins and builds massive confidence. Be the Table Moderator: If you see a player physically shrinking because a louder player cut them off, hold up a hand and say, "Hold on a second, let’s hear what Joe was going to say." And way more yapping on this topicSupport the Show: Check out the Good GMs Patreon to help the guys buy a coffee (and maybe a new, less squeaky chair for Chuckie). Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoodGMsPodcast Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3XSYh258bxrIjYuZpmdw2R Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-gms-podcast/id1851312721 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodgmspod/

    7 - The Silence Of The Players

  8. Jun 5 ·  Video

    6 - Chaosium Con Air

    Did you miss out on the cosmic horror and community vibes at Chaosium Con in Ann Arbor, Michigan? This week on Good GMs, James and Chuckie sit down to recap Chuckie’s weekend at this uniquely intimate tabletop gaming convention. Boasting a comfortable crowd of around 450 attendees, Chaosium Con is the ultimate space to skip the massive stadium crowds of Gen Con and actually rub shoulders with industry legends, swap horror stories with fellow Keepers, and level up your skills as a Game Master. Convention Etiquette & Bad GMs: The critical importance of showing up early and knowing your rules. When a neighboring GM flaked out on their players, our friend "Big Stompy Robot" from the Savage Sessions RPG Podcast stepped up to absorb the players and save their hard-earned vacation time. Propping Up Your Con Game: Why presentation is everything. Chuckie talks about laminating massive custom maps, while James details packing an entire Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles session inside pizza boxes (complete with colored eye masks and custom dice trays) to turn a regular game into an unforgettable show. The Campfire Tales Leak: A look at Chaosium's upcoming Call of Cthulhu book Campfire Tales (focusing on scouting themes) and how modern safety mechanics stop horror GMs from becoming actual "monsters" when running high-terror games involving younger characters. A Brush with Chaosium Royalty: Chuckie shares a hilarious story about running The Haunting, navigating a wagon full of oversized props, and unknowingly talking shop with Chaosium's Vice President and Creative Director, Jeff Richard, and his multi-table-running wife!✨Pro-Tips✨ Pick up community-made sourcebooks or publish your own gaming content over on DriveThruRPG. Listen to Bridgett Jeffries over at the Miskatonic University Podcast. Watch incredible, system-agnostic GM advice from Seth Skorkowsky on YouTube. Check out Chuckie's Live Play show, featuring E.E. Morris, our producer, Rainey, and our buddy Big Stompy Robot at the Savage Sessions RPG Podcast Organize your TTRPG worlds, NPCs, and hyperlinked lore sheets with Kanka Campaign Manager. Download the free Call of Cthulhu starter scenarios mentioned in the show: The Haunting Quickstart and What's in the Cellar?Join us!  Support Good GMs on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GoodGMsPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584454320344 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodgmspod/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoodGMsPodcast

    6 - Chaosium Con Air
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5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

We’re James and Chuck, lifelong Game Masters who can’t stop thinking about role-playing games. We’ve spent years running sessions, building worlds, and discovering stories we never planned. Sometimes things work perfectly, and sometimes we screw up spectacularly, but we always learn, laugh, and lean on each other’s experience to make the next game even better. We don’t always agree, and that’s part of the fun. There's no right or wrong way to GM, just choices, surprises, and the joy of collaborative storytelling. Support Good GMs on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GoodGMsPodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoodGMsPodcast Anywhere You Stream: https://linktr.ee/GoodGMs Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584454320344 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodgmspod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@good.gms.podcast

Information

  • Creator
    James Currie, Chuck Taylor
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Good GMs LLC, 2026
  • Show Website
    Good GMs Podcast