It’s perhaps unfortunate, but a guide for gamemasters is usually written for two audiences; the fresh-faced newcomer and the grizzled veteran. As you might expect, these two audiences probably want very different things out of a book designed for GMs. The Gamemastery Guide does try to speak to both audiences. Topics that the new GM might be interested include basic advice on how to run a game, including an example of play (yay!). There is also advice on building encounters, running smooth combats and an interesting series of questions to answer when creating a campaign world. For the veteran, there are a variety of tools and items that can be dropped into a game. These include a plethora of random tables for everything from urban encounters to random magic items. There are also 50+ pages devoted to pre-generated NPCs (yay again!). You will find everything from the CR 1 Guard to the CR 11 Cult Leader.
Physically, the Gamemastery Guide is another example of Paizo’s high production standards. There are dozens of luscious illustrations, including many that depict the pre-generated NPCs. My only gripe is that the font is both small and light. Combining that with somewhat dense paragraphs makes for a tough reading experience for my aging eyes.
Speaking as a veteran GM, the best thing about the Gamemastery Guide for me are the set pieces that I can use to drop into my game. When I need a shopkeeper, I will just flip to page 284. When I need a quick sewer encounter, I will turn to page 213. Likewise, the sections on running chases and quick ship combats are tools that I can really use. Indices that include tables and the pre-generated NPCs are also a welcome addition. I only wish that more of the drop in items like the pre-generated settlements had been included and less of the random tables of weather and the like.
Of course there is a lot more in the book that I haven’t mentioned. Flipping through, you will stumble on everything from a list of words that every GM should know to a list of recommended music. There is enough content that I expect to be happily discovering new surprises for some time to come. And while I don’t think the book is perfect, I applaud Paizo for releasing a GM guide that really does have something to offer almost any gamemaster.
