I was recently having a conversation with some of my gaming buddies that strayed onto the topic of how Wizards of the Coast could really help build up their player base. While we were talking specifically about the Dungeons & Dragons brand, I think the discussion can really be broadened to the RPG gaming industry as a whole. Cal Moore, an editor over at Wizards, brought up a really excellent point. The single biggest limiting factor to getting into the hobby is the availability of Game Masters. No matter how interested you might be in playing the game, if you can't find someone to run it, you're stuck. And, from my own experience, finding a good GM can be especially difficult. Cal's solution was a logical one -- build up the next generation of DMs. More DMs equals more access for players to get in a game. I think he has it exactly right, and it is with that in mind that I kick off P&PG's Ask-a-GM column ...

In the Company of Giants is one of the latest supplements by Rite Publishing that expands on their ever burgeoning campaign setting, Questhaven. This time, Steven Russell turns his attention to creating a playable race of giants, known as Jotun. (For the curious, a quick Wikipedia search will reveal “jötunn” to be the name given to giants of Norse mythology.) Though the jotun may be themed for giants of the Questhaven setting, everything within is completely portable to any 3.5e or Pathfinder game, which includes a full racial class progression from 1st to 20th level, a titan’s fistful of elemental themed powers, and several pages of feats to add to your jotun’s retinue ...

The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea follows close on the heels of The Plane Below, expanding on the upper fundamental plane of the 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons "World Axis" cosmology. It presents a fantastic place where planar adventurers will find floating within an otherwise vast emptiness countless island motes, ancient battlefields, dangerous astral pirates, and the dominions of the gods themselves -- some left shattered following a climactic battle fought eons past between the gods and the primordials known as the "Dawn War." It is an ideal setting for a paragon or epic tier game and will make an excellent change of pace for the party who may have grown tired of the humdrum trappings of typical fantasy settings. This supplement has very little in the way of content meant for players, but for the Dungeon Master looking to run a game set in the planes, it will be an invaluable addition to his gaming library ...