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XDM X-Treme Dungeon Mastery
Take Your Game to the Extreme!
Extreme Dungeon Mastery offers tips on engaging gameplay, use of props, riddles, sleight-of-hand, fog machines, lasers, and even pyrotechnics. Authors Tracy and Curtis Hickman also reveal the secrets to running a "Killer Breakfast" event based on the hugely popular and long-running events at the Gen Con Game Fair.
Extreme Dungeon Mastery offers tips on engaging gameplay, use of props, riddles, sleight-of-hand, fog machines, lasers, and even pyrotechnics. Authors Tracy and Curtis Hickman also reveal the secrets to running a "Killer Breakfast" event based on the hugely popular and long-running events at the Gen Con Game Fair.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published July 20, 2009
119 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Tracy Hickman
454 books2,735 followersNYT Best-selling fantasy authors Tracy Hickman, with his wife Laura, began their journey across the 'Sea of Possibilities' as the creators of 'Dragonlance' and their voyage continues into new areas with the 'Drakis' trilogy, 'Wayne of Gotham', a Batman novel for DC Comics and his
'Dragon's Bard' collector's series
. Tracy has over fifty books currently in print in most languages around the world. A record of both Tracy and Laura's DNA currently orbits on the international space station and he is the writer and editor of the first science-fiction movie actually filmed in space. Follow us on
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 13, 2017
This book contains brilliant advice and insights that not only made me a better GM (game master, in tabletop role-playing games), they transformed my whole philosophy of GMing.
So why did I rate it three stars? It's 30 pages of (very) useful content in a 150-page hardcover package. I don't blame Mr. Hickman for trying to make a living: no one will pay for a 30-page booklet. His advice is worth the cover price. The book is padded with a lot of extraneous stuff about stage magic (for special effects at your game table) that is utterly impractical. I would have preferred he pad it with more jokes and cartoons, or better yet, more stories from his decades of writing and GMing instead.
I still recommend it highly to any GM! Just prepare yourself to skip some bits.
So why did I rate it three stars? It's 30 pages of (very) useful content in a 150-page hardcover package. I don't blame Mr. Hickman for trying to make a living: no one will pay for a 30-page booklet. His advice is worth the cover price. The book is padded with a lot of extraneous stuff about stage magic (for special effects at your game table) that is utterly impractical. I would have preferred he pad it with more jokes and cartoons, or better yet, more stories from his decades of writing and GMing instead.
I still recommend it highly to any GM! Just prepare yourself to skip some bits.
March 28, 2019
Tracy Hickman, legendary fantasy author and unimpeachable titan of the tabletop gaming industry, has teamed up with his son to write a book on the philosophy of being the Game Master. So, how did it turn out?
Well, let's first talk about the physical quality and construction of the book. Howard Tayler is channeling John Kovalic in his illustrations here in a way that feels just short of criminal. I'm also not sure how I feel about the illustrations themselves. They never seem to really feel like they fit. They feel like padding. Which is a consistent problem in this book. There is an entire chapter on using pyrotechnics at your game table that is redacted into uselessness. It's a funny joke. For about one page. And it doesn't really add anything to the book because using fire at a game table is probably stupid. I don't know if a cheap parlor trick like flash paper really adds anything to the immersion of a roleplaying game. In fact, I think it would be distracting. And the lengthy warnings against using fire confirm that it certainly isn't a good idea. So why is this chapter here? Padding. The book also has a chapter on using basic sleight of hand and magic tricks at a gaming table. Or rather, it contains instructions for doing them but doesn't really explain why it would be a good idea to bust out some card tricks at a gaming table. In one of their books, Penn & Teller discuss the concept of 'The Parrot Guy.' This is a guy who brings a parrot to parties for attention when the parrot says a few, usually inappropriate, words. They point out that busting out magic tricks at social events doesn't make you popular - it makes you a 'parrot guy.' Curtis Hickman is a professional magician and I'm guessing these were primarily his contributions. But they're just padding. The book is short and much of its design seems to be driving at getting it to a book-length project instead of a pamphlet.
Also the paper quality of the pages is pretty deplorable. Like used trade paperback quality paper. You'll rip pages turning them in your copy.
So, that covers my disappointments. But let's talk about why I'm glad I bought it. Tracy Hickman is a legend in the tabletop gaming community. He wrote the original Castle Ravenloft module. He helped create DragonLance and the world of Krynn with Margaret Weis. His Ravenloft module is the standard to which all other modules must be held.
And Hickman has identified a problem. Beneath all the increasingly complex rules of modern role playing games, we've lost sight of what made those games special. It isn't about the math, it's about the characters. And the less useful portions of the book are in the center and they are sandwiched between brilliance. Hickman discusses John Campbell's Monomyth as a tool for story structure. The only thing missing was describing the traditional act structures of theatre to help drive the point home.
But tabletop games are usually games of epic adventure and fantasy. The monomyth as Campbell outlined is a pretty reliable structure and if you use it as a guideline to writing your stories you'll at least have a solid skeleton to work from. This kind of framework won't make a story good but it will be passable. He discusses how this functions in the context of a role playing game. The importance and use of riddles and puzzles and ways to make combat less cringe-inducing. He gives a loving and wonderful overview of how to assemble an epic adventure for your players.
The last part of the book deals with mechanics and while I doubt there are many who play with the rules as outlined here, they do offer an illustrative example of the ONE real mechanic of a D20 roleplaying game. Because, there really is only one mechanic: You say a thing you want to do, then you roll a 20 sided die to see if you can do it. That's all. That's it. Everything else is window dressing. This is pulling back the curtain to reveal the Wizard of Oz. Make on-the-spot rulings. Encourage craziness. Encourage creativity. It all comes down to a roll of the trusty D20.
I also appreciate how Hickman repeatedly, and loudly, recommends the instant execution of the character of any player who questions your ruling or tries to argue.
I guess I'm a 1st level XDM now.
Well, let's first talk about the physical quality and construction of the book. Howard Tayler is channeling John Kovalic in his illustrations here in a way that feels just short of criminal. I'm also not sure how I feel about the illustrations themselves. They never seem to really feel like they fit. They feel like padding. Which is a consistent problem in this book. There is an entire chapter on using pyrotechnics at your game table that is redacted into uselessness. It's a funny joke. For about one page. And it doesn't really add anything to the book because using fire at a game table is probably stupid. I don't know if a cheap parlor trick like flash paper really adds anything to the immersion of a roleplaying game. In fact, I think it would be distracting. And the lengthy warnings against using fire confirm that it certainly isn't a good idea. So why is this chapter here? Padding. The book also has a chapter on using basic sleight of hand and magic tricks at a gaming table. Or rather, it contains instructions for doing them but doesn't really explain why it would be a good idea to bust out some card tricks at a gaming table. In one of their books, Penn & Teller discuss the concept of 'The Parrot Guy.' This is a guy who brings a parrot to parties for attention when the parrot says a few, usually inappropriate, words. They point out that busting out magic tricks at social events doesn't make you popular - it makes you a 'parrot guy.' Curtis Hickman is a professional magician and I'm guessing these were primarily his contributions. But they're just padding. The book is short and much of its design seems to be driving at getting it to a book-length project instead of a pamphlet.
Also the paper quality of the pages is pretty deplorable. Like used trade paperback quality paper. You'll rip pages turning them in your copy.
So, that covers my disappointments. But let's talk about why I'm glad I bought it. Tracy Hickman is a legend in the tabletop gaming community. He wrote the original Castle Ravenloft module. He helped create DragonLance and the world of Krynn with Margaret Weis. His Ravenloft module is the standard to which all other modules must be held.
And Hickman has identified a problem. Beneath all the increasingly complex rules of modern role playing games, we've lost sight of what made those games special. It isn't about the math, it's about the characters. And the less useful portions of the book are in the center and they are sandwiched between brilliance. Hickman discusses John Campbell's Monomyth as a tool for story structure. The only thing missing was describing the traditional act structures of theatre to help drive the point home.
But tabletop games are usually games of epic adventure and fantasy. The monomyth as Campbell outlined is a pretty reliable structure and if you use it as a guideline to writing your stories you'll at least have a solid skeleton to work from. This kind of framework won't make a story good but it will be passable. He discusses how this functions in the context of a role playing game. The importance and use of riddles and puzzles and ways to make combat less cringe-inducing. He gives a loving and wonderful overview of how to assemble an epic adventure for your players.
The last part of the book deals with mechanics and while I doubt there are many who play with the rules as outlined here, they do offer an illustrative example of the ONE real mechanic of a D20 roleplaying game. Because, there really is only one mechanic: You say a thing you want to do, then you roll a 20 sided die to see if you can do it. That's all. That's it. Everything else is window dressing. This is pulling back the curtain to reveal the Wizard of Oz. Make on-the-spot rulings. Encourage craziness. Encourage creativity. It all comes down to a roll of the trusty D20.
I also appreciate how Hickman repeatedly, and loudly, recommends the instant execution of the character of any player who questions your ruling or tries to argue.
I guess I'm a 1st level XDM now.
November 22, 2019
There are interesting ideas here on roleplaying in general and how to manage campaigns and groups. But you really have to dig past the humor and the filler. If you enjoy the type of humor, I can imagine the book being very entertaining. Otherwise, as in my case, it is almost painful. I like Tracy Hickman's work in general, I just didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would.
March 31, 2014
This had a lot of great ideas about how to DM better, and basically how to tell a story. I also like the super simple role playing system that they include so you can get people playing really easily. Loses a star for all of the random "magic tricks" and other such gimmicks that I really had no interest in (I pretty much skipped whole chapters).
May 16, 2016
Mostly a collection of goofball ramblings by an unfunny jokester. Kinda like talking about D&D with Joey from Full House.
For the almost paragraph of interesting insight, I thank the authors. For the rest of this book, I no-thank-you.
For the almost paragraph of interesting insight, I thank the authors. For the rest of this book, I no-thank-you.
April 6, 2019
Mr. Hickmann gives valuable advice and presents good ideas. However, some parts of the book, especially at the start, simply do not really contribute to the theme of the book, namely how to be a better DM; they consists of very general ideas and funny remarks.
I am not against lighthearted fun. But if I have to dig through 40 pages of "flavour stuff" first, that does not get to the point, I get bored. The book would be better by far if the author had been bold enough to cut the text down to half the amount of pages and kept out the unnecessary parts.
You should still buy the book because it is very good in the following parts:
- Which types of players are there and how to keep those types entertained
- How to build adventures
(story, emotional investment of players, linear or non-linear structure, twists)
- Brainstorming about possible stories (story-generator)
The story-generator alone would be worth the money.
I am not against lighthearted fun. But if I have to dig through 40 pages of "flavour stuff" first, that does not get to the point, I get bored. The book would be better by far if the author had been bold enough to cut the text down to half the amount of pages and kept out the unnecessary parts.
You should still buy the book because it is very good in the following parts:
- Which types of players are there and how to keep those types entertained
- How to build adventures
(story, emotional investment of players, linear or non-linear structure, twists)
- Brainstorming about possible stories (story-generator)
The story-generator alone would be worth the money.
July 9, 2023
The Hickmans are legends and Ravenloft was a paradigm shift for what adventure modules could be. So I had high hopes that this would be filled with incredible insights. There are some. There are excellent chapters on story structure and dealing with different play styles. But you have to wade through chapters with very little to do with your gaming table or gaming in general. Fog machines? Laser light shows? Pyro? How about an entire chapter on card tricks and sleight of hand? There's also a chapter on how to run a very specific gaming convention session, which will be useful to almost nobody. For those reasons, I couldn't really recommend this.
April 10, 2019
Wikipedia claims this book was written in about two months, starting roughly August 2008, so that it could be published by August 2009.
It shows.
The authors attempt to describe a secret society of dungeon masters, of which they lead, their ideas on what makes a good game, lighting and fog effects, slight-of-hand-tricks, and a chapter devoted to making incendiary devices with key items redacted. Overall, this is very underwhelming.
You can find better content elsewhere if you want game mastering tips. I'm not convinced this wasn't intended as a gag.
It shows.
The authors attempt to describe a secret society of dungeon masters, of which they lead, their ideas on what makes a good game, lighting and fog effects, slight-of-hand-tricks, and a chapter devoted to making incendiary devices with key items redacted. Overall, this is very underwhelming.
You can find better content elsewhere if you want game mastering tips. I'm not convinced this wasn't intended as a gag.
October 22, 2019
It was ok
The first quarter of the book isnt needed. The middle had some helpful ideas. I like the idea of simplifying games. The ending was more of the beginning - jokes that got stale quickly. I wish there were more content and less attempts at levity.
The first quarter of the book isnt needed. The middle had some helpful ideas. I like the idea of simplifying games. The ending was more of the beginning - jokes that got stale quickly. I wish there were more content and less attempts at levity.
September 3, 2021
As other reviews mention, this is more of an (attempted) comedic work than DMing advice. It should have more clearly presented itself as humor.
Interestingly, there's clearly a market, judging by all the disappointed people, for a book on DMing advice. Someone should write it!
Interestingly, there's clearly a market, judging by all the disappointed people, for a book on DMing advice. Someone should write it!
April 5, 2022
Oh you’re a comedian?
I envision two orangutans turned loose on a word processing program. There is great and even priceless content to be gleaned, but it is so filled with bad humor, mostly in the form of satirical footnotes and requests to send them more money, it is nearly impossible to read.
This should be 200 or more pages shorter, omit the nonsense dad-like comedy, and just bring the content.
This book seems popular in the rpg industry. They also have a kickstarter for a second edition. I presume this is because a publisher wouldn’t pick it up, neither should you.
I recommend Dungeon Crawl Classics. It has an old school dnd vibe.
I envision two orangutans turned loose on a word processing program. There is great and even priceless content to be gleaned, but it is so filled with bad humor, mostly in the form of satirical footnotes and requests to send them more money, it is nearly impossible to read.
This should be 200 or more pages shorter, omit the nonsense dad-like comedy, and just bring the content.
This book seems popular in the rpg industry. They also have a kickstarter for a second edition. I presume this is because a publisher wouldn’t pick it up, neither should you.
I recommend Dungeon Crawl Classics. It has an old school dnd vibe.
August 2, 2020
Funny, with some really good ideas. Lighthearted, and with some Secrets man was never meant to know.
January 10, 2010
Excellent book. Should be mandatory reading for anyone who plays or runs an RPG. It also contains Tracy Hickman's ideas on story which is worth a read for any writers. And it has Curtis Hickman's ideas on magic, which is just plain fun, and informative. (There are some seriously great tricks in there.) Howard Tayler's illustrations are worth reading the book for too. (So it's like getting paid three times, of course the book pays in XDM levels which are worth more than money.)
The book isn't just theory, it also has an entire rpg system in it. (Two if you consider the basic and advanced to be different systems.) The best part of this system is that all other systems are adaptable to it. It stresses story and play over calculations.
The book is all sorts of fun, part of the clown-shoes subtle reminder that games are supposed to be fun. My favorite chapter is on fire (which you should never use because fire is dangerous, which they remind you as they tell you how to do it) if only it wasn't so heavily redacted.
As Grand Master XDM Tracy Hickman says, "God doesn't play dice with the universe, we do."
The book isn't just theory, it also has an entire rpg system in it. (Two if you consider the basic and advanced to be different systems.) The best part of this system is that all other systems are adaptable to it. It stresses story and play over calculations.
The book is all sorts of fun, part of the clown-shoes subtle reminder that games are supposed to be fun. My favorite chapter is on fire (which you should never use because fire is dangerous, which they remind you as they tell you how to do it) if only it wasn't so heavily redacted.
As Grand Master XDM Tracy Hickman says, "God doesn't play dice with the universe, we do."
January 10, 2010
Excellent book. Should be mandatory reading for anyone who plays or runs an RPG. It also contains Tracy Hickman's ideas on story which is worth a read for any writers. And it has Curtis Hickman's ideas on magic, which is just plain fun, and informative. (There are some seriously great tricks in there.) Howard Tayler's illustrations are worth reading the book for too. (So it's like getting paid three times, of course the book pays in XDM levels which are worth more than money.)
The book isn't just theory, it also has an entire rpg system in it. (Two if you consider the basic and advanced to be different systems.) The best part of this system is that all other systems are adaptable to it. It stresses story and play over calculations.
The book is all sorts of fun, part of the clown-shoes subtle reminder that games are supposed to be fun. My favorite chapter is on fire (which you should never use because fire is dangerous, which they remind you as they tell you how to do it) if only it wasn't so heavily redacted.
As Grand Master XDM Tracy Hickman says, "God doesn't play dice with the universe, we do."
The book isn't just theory, it also has an entire rpg system in it. (Two if you consider the basic and advanced to be different systems.) The best part of this system is that all other systems are adaptable to it. It stresses story and play over calculations.
The book is all sorts of fun, part of the clown-shoes subtle reminder that games are supposed to be fun. My favorite chapter is on fire (which you should never use because fire is dangerous, which they remind you as they tell you how to do it) if only it wasn't so heavily redacted.
As Grand Master XDM Tracy Hickman says, "God doesn't play dice with the universe, we do."
July 29, 2010
While this book has a few good ideas for DMing, most of it is the same material found in other DM guides. The real reason to read this book is the humor. There was some pretty funny stuff (like the history of RPGs), but a lot of the humor just wasn't that funny to me. It would have been really funny ten years ago. Maybe I'm getting old. The pyrotechnics section was kind of funny, but too long for how much actual content was in it.
November 4, 2012
I read this book as a tool for game design and storytelling rather than Dungeon Mastery. I really enjoyed the way Tracy Hickman outlined a few ways to hook players, keep them engaged, and keep them on track, and keep them accountable for their actions. There are plenty of writing parallels here as well.
Some of the humor missed the mark, but overall if you want to learn how to get together with some friends, this is a great book.
Some of the humor missed the mark, but overall if you want to learn how to get together with some friends, this is a great book.
August 12, 2012
I greatly enjoyed the humor contained here, even though some sections got out of hand. I also loved the anecdotes from the authors (Tracy freakin' Hickman fer goshsake!). This isn't a bible to be referred to for handling trouble, it's more of a manifesto to be read and digested. I haven't run a game using the XD20 system, but expect it would be LARPish, and that seems to be the point of this book - RPG is basically Improv with a stricter setting and more rules.
April 6, 2016
This is a great guide to the SPIRIT of good role playing, for both dungeon masters and players, emphasizing the fun of a good story. The book has many useful ideas, is chalked with fun illustrations and contains rampant hyperbole. I recommend it to any game master or player who wants to take their in-game story telling to the next level!
January 8, 2012
This book had some good ideas in it. I thought that the part for players on how to play your character had the best advice. I do think that the author needed to include more examples. I did skip over the chapter on magic tricks.
November 9, 2014
Both amusing and useful if you have ever played a tabletop RPG. There is a lot of very good stuff here, but it loses a star for occasional poor editing, especially grating as the book has a great layout.
January 8, 2017
Fun
This book is just like attending seminar by Tracy Hickman. It is funny, entertaining and informative. A great inspiration for running games. As well as a love letter to RPG's.
This book is just like attending seminar by Tracy Hickman. It is funny, entertaining and informative. A great inspiration for running games. As well as a love letter to RPG's.
August 29, 2015
Very funny, but typos around in my Kindle copy, almost to the point of seemingly having not been reviewed by an editor!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews