Sew Ewe Want To Be A Game Master - Boards & Swords #288
Wingspan will soon fit in your pocket, Spirit Island is getting a new publisher, and the Lazy Gamemaster has a brand new kickstarter campaign! Speaking of being a GM, if you want to be a better one, you’ll want to check out our review of “So You Want To Be A Game Master” by Justin Alexander (amazon affiliate link). Then, we’ll give you some examples of “great” GM advice in our Ask A Dirtbag GM segment! Join us on Discord!
Join us on Discord! https://boardsandswords.com/discord
News
Beloved bird board game Wingspan announces a pint-sized Pocket version (from Wargamer)
Wingspan is getting a small, standalone version of the game to make it more accessible and beginner friendly. Although Philip had the best idea during the show and this version should only have featured small birds, but I doubt that will actually be the case. The gameplay has been tweaked, so you won't be able to use these cards alongside your normal wingspan cards, but if you've been at the bar and had a itch to learn more about birds, soon it'll be much easier to pull a game out to do so (you'll still probably get weird looks).
It's kind of telling when you say "we avoided Kickstarter because we didn't want to play into the forced immediacy", and then you pull a Kickstarter because it didn't get enough attention - even though it funded. Yeah, everyone knows that setting a low goal and trying to get multiple times that goal is how you run a Kickstarter, but I really think that the funding goal should at least be profitable for your company in some small regard. Otherwise what's the point?
When a company spends its time and money laying off employees, it shouldn't surprise them when creators don't want to work with them anymore. Flat Iron Group is finding themselves in that position with Spirit Island, which had been one of their biggest hits. The creator of the game let their contract with the publisher expire after Flat Iron spent most of 2025 downsizing and letting go of a lot of staff. Now, the creator is in talks with an unnamed publisher to bring back the popular board game with all new art.
Get foxy in D&D with this vulpine expansion for a JRPG-themed setting (from Wargamer)
Who doesn't like JRPG inspired D&D content, especially when they feature sexy anime foxy ladies! This sourcebook adds lots of 5e content surrounding a goddess of trickery. I may or may not have backed this one during the show - but at least I didn't get the contoured mousepad! (At least, not yet).
Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster (from Kickstarter.com)
Mike Shea has done a great job over the years giving people tips on how to improve their games without going too overboard. He's back on Kickstarter with "Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster", a new book further expanding on these concepts. I've read a couple of his books, and there is some great content in there. So much, that I went and got him to come on the show next time as a guest! I'm so excited!!
Review
So You Want To Be A Game Master by Justin Alexander
Ask A Dirtbag GM
How should i describe Scenes without being boring. (from reddit.com/r/DMAcademy)
We've all been there - you need to describe a scene, so you type out a monologue of a description, only to see your players' eyes glaze over. Or, you do the opposite and just talk about the monsters in the room. There's got to be a happy medium, right? I definitely picked this thread because some of the resources we talk about in the news and the Justin Alexander book will be very helpful in answering this question.
This DM has an aquatic adventure, but their players have found out that the "shape water" spell can be a bit of a game breaker when you are at sea. Or can it? Maybe this DM needs to implement some consequences to using the spell to "discourage" players from this type of behavior. Or, just make the spell act differently than the way their players *think* it will work (but still within the description of the spell). Anything to change up the game and keep players from just powering through an adventure with very little effort.
Affiliate Links/Codes: Help support the show!
Amazon: https://boardsandswords.com/amazon
Renegade Games Studios: https://boardsandswords.com/renegade
Monument Hobbies: 5% off using code "boardsandswords" at their checkout: https://monumenthobbies.com/
Email us your comments and questions at feedback@boardsandswords.com. We're on social media! You can find us on Facebook & Instagram @boardsandorswords! You can also help support the show and get extra bonus content by pledging just $1/month at https://patreon.com/boardsandswords . Thank you for listening to the show. Until next time, remember that every gamer has a story…..what's yours?