Hi, and welcome to the New Gamemaster Month program! New Gamemaster Month is January, and we’ll have our first session on January 7th. Why not right at the start of the month? Well, some people are still recovering from the holidays, or are super-busy returning to work or school. Others need a few days to settle into their New Year’s resolutions—becoming a GM might be one of them. And the 7th gives us plenty of time in January to run through the program, with the final session on January 30th—leading straight into the weekend of January 31st, which is when you’ll run your first game.

OK, but it’s not January 7th yet, and you’re keen to get started. What can you do now? Here’s a quick list.

Choose the game you’d like to run. There are several publishers participating this year, which means you can choose between several different RPGs. Regardless of which you choose, you’ll get step-by-step, specific instructions to prepare for that game. Which should you choose? Pick one that you’ve played before, or that you’re already a fan of, or that appeals to your passions. You can find links to the four games on the New Gamemaster Month home page.

Join the New Gamemaster Month Facebook group. This is a great place to talk to other prospective GMs, folk who have done this program in years past, and loads of experienced GMs who are on hand to answer questions and provide support and encouragement.

Have a quick look at this web page (the one you’re reading right now). See those four tabs just below this list? Feel free to click any of them. This is how each session of the program will be formatted: A general GMing lesson up here, where you’re currently reading, with great advice on the GMing process that applies to any game. Then tabs down below for each of the participating games, with specific instructions for preparing to run that game.

Put January 7th on your calendar, so you’ll remember to return for the first session. And subscribe to the site (there to the right on this page), so you’ll get an update when each session is posted!

Tell your friends! Post a link on Facebook, Twitter, or wherever you socialize. Let people know about New Gamemaster Month. The more people who participate, the more GMs we’ll have out in the world!

See you back here in January!