AC Spotlight: Tales Guild
We sat down with Dice, the Game Master of Tales Guild.
In this AC Spotlight, Dice, the GM of Tales Guild, shared tips on how to make your own Actual Plan and the work that goes into Tales Guild.
The Evolution of Tales Guild
Tales Guild didn't start as a massive production. Originally hosted on Dice’s personal Twitch channel, the project expanded as other players/GMs stepped up to run their own mini-series to help manage the workload.
Today, Tales Guild is a dedicated hub for multiple APs, found on Twitch and YouTube.
The Craft of the Actual Play
Running a game for an audience is different from a home game. Dice shared some "pro-tips" for aspiring Actual Play GMs:
The "Sweet Spot": While many home games run for four hours, Dice argues that two to three hours is the ideal length for an AP to keep energy high and prevent burnout.
Collaborative Editing: Instead of the GM making all the decisions, the Tales Guild team uses a "candy store" approach—every player suggests their favorite moments from a session to ensure the highlight reels represent the whole table.
Hidden Markers: To help editors find the best moments, Dice suggests using a Stream Deck or a simple OBS shortcut to "mark" a timestamp live so you don't have to scrub through hours of footage later.
Challenging the "Invincible" Player
How do you handle a power-build character with a massive AC?
Dice’s philosophy is simple: Don't target the stats; target the story.
"If that character pretty much has the invincible iron wall... the NPCs around them don't really have that."
By introducing moral dilemmas and consequences that affect the world and the people the heroes care about, a GM can create tension that a high Armor Class simply can't protect against.
You can find Dice and the Tales Guild crew on YouTube and their Beacon page.