I'm at Origins in Columbus, OH. It seems to me like a place where a lot of people from all across the sex/gender spectrum feel comfortable being their genuine selves. I don't know everyone's story but I've seen a *lot* of people signalling pretty openly about things from kink to sexual orientation to gender identity. There are a lot of rainbows here and while some of them are attached to unicorns or rain clouds, many of them are on lapel pins, suspenders, decals on laptops, etc. There are also the more subtle things like hearing to 50-something guy who was teaching me the character creation process for a new (to me) RPG, excitedly talking about a recent character of his, who was a 20-something woman who had been a star athlete in high school and who now used those gifts and training to fight crime. There are enough people walking around in cosplay or fantasy armor that I can't always spot the kinksters, but they're definitely here. That (all) is the Good News. I spent part of today trying to find a friend of mine. I knew what company he was working for and I went looking for him at their booth (vendor hall isn't open yet, but Iget access during set-up). He wasn't around. We exchanged some messages and I found out where he was -- or where I thought he was. I wandered the Gaming Hall looking for him, going up and down 1-2 aisles where I thought he would be. I thought I spotted him a couple of times -- because he's a P.O.C., and there were few enough that any time I saw someone it was noteworthy. Now, it's early in the con and that means there are fewer people here overall, but that shouldn't change the proportional makeup of the people here. And I know we're in Ohio, but I also know this event draws people from all over the country. There are all different aspects of Gaming represent here -- trading card games, LARPs, Escape rooms, board games, kids games, social deduction games, RPGs, etc. I'm not casting aspersions on any one segment of the the gaming world -- but I think we all can and should do better. I don't have a solution and I don't have it in my power to fix it. But I'm hoping that by gently pointing out the wildly disproportionate representation here -- at least for one segment of the population -- we'll all try to do better.

Just curious -- I generally have instrumental music on in the background when I write (I find stuff with lyrics distracts me). I tend to listen to Danny Elfman on shuffle when I'm writing. I know a lot of people like Spotify stations but I don't use them because they're evil (you gotta pick your battles). Does anyone else listen to music and -- if so -- do you have a go to artist or album?

Does anyone have a favorite approach to running interrogations? I don't think I have ever run one or played in one that felt like it went well. The players ask a bunch of vague questions expecting lore dumps from a minion. I need something less detailed than a long uncomfortable RP back and forth and more than "you interrogate him for 20 minutes and discover that he really dosn't know much."

It's time for a community workshop. This Sunday evening at 7pm Eastern, come talk about your ongoing game(s) that you're running. This event is for GMs who are using (or moving towards) a proactive approach to running the game. We'll talk about: - Your PCs' goals and how to sharpen them - How you could react to those goals with factions, NPCs, and locations - Encounter design that's fun and also moves the story forward in a meaningful way These are pretty fun and usually pretty small (3-4 people), so come with your notes and prepared to talk in detail about your game. Also please come ready to give other GMs ideas - it's best when we all riff together. (This event is for Gold members only - if you aren't Gold yet, you can read about what it is here).

Hey there! I'm Alex Jannuzzi, and I've been GMing since 2020. Thanks for having me! I've been looking for other GMs who might be interested in brainstorming ideas, talking shop, etc, and landed here :) Systems I've played: D&D, Shadowrun 5e, Tormenta20, Daggerheart, CoC, Starfinder 1e, Shadowdark. Systems I'm about to play: Fabula Ultima, Starfinder 2e, and Beyond The Tall Grass (PKMN homebrew system I'm working on and will be GMing on a stream) Cheers!