Alexis D. Smolensk is a writer, DM, and RPG designer whose blog, The Tao of D&D, has been the cutting edge of the tabletop RPG field for more than 15 years. Whether he's deconstructing why and how traditional game rules fail, painstakingly analyzing player actions and DM responses from real game sessions, or drawing DMing lessons from fields of endeavor as diverse as cooking, mapmaking, and car manufacturing, Smolensk has earned a passionate following among DMs who will stop at nothing to improve their craft. In this volume, four tabletop RPG designers pay homage to Smolensk's influence and talent with essays inspired by facets of his work. Jonathan Becker shares how a change in perspective renewed his devotion to the art of the RPG. Maxwell Joslyn explains why developing RPG-specific software applications is the best path toward expanding RPGs' depth and complexity. Shelby Maddox presents methods for developing game rules and game settings which feel coherent and organic. And Danielle Osterman, after empirically examining YouTube videos and Smolensk's blog posts, makes the case for improving how we teach and train budding DMs.