GM Theory - Ideas to help run RPGs

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"Games are just like Life, with all the boring parts cut out. "



YES | NO | YES-And... | YES-But...

  • YES there is a window, AND there is an escalation.
  • YES there is a window, BUT there is a complication.
  • NO there is not a window, AND there is a complication.
  • NO there is not a window, BUT there is an escalation.

'Yes, And' vs. 'Yes, But'

As a GM I know that I can advance the plot by answering by acknowledging what the players want and either upping the stakes, or by placing something in their path to obstruct them.
As an example:
Player: "I need to get into the building fast if I'm going to save the Senator. Can I see a window?"
A typical 'Yes, And' response might be something like:
"You head round the building looking, and yes there is one. More importantly there’s a rope hanging from it and you can see someone pulling themselves through. ::: They have a rifle."
A typical 'Yes, But' response might be something like:
"You head round the building looking, and yes there is one. Its open too, and looks an easy climb but there's a guard patrolling below it"
Occasionally I'll give a 'No' response but I try to avoid it. Even if it involves changing the plot, or having things mysteriously appear (like windows where there are none on the map) I try to go with Yes Variants if it advances the plot.
Obviously the 'Yes, And' response leads to afar faster game, with players ripping through plot very fast - but it can lead to tension. The 'Yes, But' response leads to a slower game,but it still moves the game forward, and it introduces challenges.
'Yes,But' definitely works far better if it suggests courses of action. I've heard 'Yes, But' used as a substitute for 'No' far too often.
The question is what experience have other GMs had with the two 'Yes' responses. I quite like string a few 'Yes, And' together to get some pace, each one either escalating the stakes or suggesting time constraints. It adds more impact to the inevitable 'Yes, But' when they feel things need to happen fast and there is a lot at stake.Suddenly they have a lot vested in overcoming the challenge. However the problem with too many 'Yes, And' answers seems to be a loss of challenge.
The distinction, as I see it, between "and" and "but" is that "yes,but" is essentially saying "yes you could do that, but here are a few reasons why you shouldn't." Your "yes, and" example is a good one,since it adds complication, but it doesn't need to include the free dangling rope.
I prefer to think of it as an escalation. i.e. Something which doesn't stop them doing what they hoped to do but raises the stakes. (the 'Yes,And')
Whilst I view anything which slows them down, or temporarily stops them doing what they planned as a complication. (the 'Yes, But')
And anything which stops them dead as a block. (the 'No')
Of course all of these could be phrased differently so as not to use the 'Yes, And' Yes, But and 'No'. For that matter you could use 'No,But' to mean yes.
e.g. 'No windows, but you do find an open door round the far side'
There's also "no, and" answers: "No, you don't find a window, and furthermore some guards spot you, and start chasing after you!"Obviously, this is a way of escalating, but the interesting thing about this is that "no, and" answers are also a useful way of changing the nature of a conflict -- in this case, it changes from stealth to running. Used badly, they suck, because it's railroading.
I wouldn't consider this railroading because the players still have a choice. They could fight the guards, they could run. In fact if you left it at "some guards spot you" they still have the chance to try to bluff the guards, bribe them or anything else. In fact its nice because it can be both a twist (changing the nature of play) and an escalation- and used intelligently it doesn't railroad.
Used well, they are really cool, because they escalate, and at the same time allow shifting the conflict to terms that are more favorable for the characters. Skillful players will often set up questions that demand "No, and" answers, because they heighten the tension and bring the scene closer to resolution at the same time.
Maybe one way to think of it is "yes, but" can lead to the reply "oh, never mind" which if done WILL cause a halt or at least a hiccup in the story, negating both the original player's idea AND your idea that followed the but. And for a sufficiently "unreasonable" condition after the but, you have what is in effect a No, and for a sufficiently unobjectionable condition after the but, you have an effective Yes,and. It's the in-between cases that make "yes, but" interesting. You might find the player's idea objectionable, and therefore want a concession from the player, or you have an idea that the player might find objectionable, and you want to propose the idea while giving the man out, or you want to probe how much your player is willing to pay to get what they wanted.
"negation words". The reason they negate is because as soon as you hear them you hear "ignore everything I said until I said the negation word,because what I really meant was (second half of sentence)".
You can still set limits with "Yes, and," and by acknowledging their idea even if you don't like it, you make them feel accepted instead of rejected.


Definition of Story

We have defined a story as a narrative of events arranged in their time-sequence. A plot is also a narrative of events, the emphasis falling on causality. "The king died and then the queen died" is a story. "The king died, and then the queen died of grief" is a plot. The time-sequence is preserved, but the sense of causality overshadows it. [...] Consider the death of the queen. If it is in a story we say "and then"? If it is in a plot we ask "why?" -- E. M. Forster, "Aspects of the Novel"
how I learned to distinguish story from plot.
Story is "and then this happened"
Plot is "and that led to"


do lots of things badly or one thing well

Greg Costikyan once said that a game can either do lots of things badly or one thing very well. At the time, he was writing games like Paranoia which is a perfect example of a game which does one type of game very well indeed.
Of course, the jury is still out on this one. One of the strengths of a game like Trinity is that it combined a whole host of sci-fi concepts, themes and approaches, so you can select the one with which you wish to run it, be it high-action superheroic space opera or dark and gritty conspiracy-busting SF. Other games, like Blue Planet, provide an almost completely neutral world, not free of action but free of any particular spin or plot mode; everything on Poseidon has a flavour of politics on the new frontier, but what type of stories you might run there are conspicuously (and deliberately) absent from the book.
Most of the big games on the market take this approach; we provide the tools – the imagery, the physics, the people and places, often these days even the tropes of the kind of genres being emulated – but you decide what they do. Exalted and Unknown Armies are two good examples that define feel far more than narrative structure. Others, like D&D, define the kind of things you will be doing, the challenges and structure of the plot, but leave the feel of the game and much of the setting up to the GM (or a sourcebook). Others, like Buffy or Feng Shui, work by encouraging the emulation of a particularly well-known narrative formula from other media, not just in setting but in plot structure also, to the extent of building narrative awareness into the character design and the rules of play.


GM Narration Styles

Other ways to do narration that's not the typical "GM describes stuff in the present tense, Players do the same." But that seems to really miss out on the potential. If you are running a game where there's a person called something like a GM with narrative authority, I think we are falling short if that authority is essentially just used to describe the world. Director's have their vision. And yet, like RPGs, they aren't the sole creators (usually), in fact most often they didn't even write the thing, much less act it out. So, if authors and directors can bring in a style and voice, why not GMs? To stick to one method would be like having every novelist write like Stephen King and every director work like Steven Speilburg.
Some ideas for styles:
  • Arrested Narration - unreliable and contradictory to actions and dialog, turning dramatic irony up to 11.
  • How Fred Savage Met Your Mother - a character narrates from a point of view of experience, long after the events are over, with ample nostalgia, regret, and sentimentality.
  • Historical Professor (inspired by World War Z) - events are presented as interpretations of uncovered artifacts, documents, or other evidence (academic or theory based bias optional).
  • Epic Veda - inspired by John Wick talking about the primary sources for the ven in Houses of the Blooded. Homer, Beowolf, Middle English poetry, whatever your style of preference. Lofty language, repeated phrases, and if your good enough a particular cadence or even rhyming.
  • The Stan Lee Cameo - Describing scenes only as still panels, anything not visual is said as if it were written in a box on the panel. or With Great Power... (and that's inspired partly from the use of thought bubbles and discussion of painting panels from the book). The rest seem pretty easy.
  • The Tarantino Method - Scenes and events structured to build to a climax, regardless of the chronology (this is sort of an ur-style that could be combined with another, I think).
  • Hard Boiled - That well known Chandler style of narration now required for every Private Investigator license. Although like any first person narrative, this would be tricky with a PC as the narrator, and might need to be an observing NPC (but who? That's the tricky part).
  • The Faulkner-Joyce Gambit - Stream of consciousness, poetic, but PCs speak and act concretely. Would this even work? I'd love to try.
  • Confessionals is a good one. Does it do it in a Reality TV show emulation? Something where the characters talk directly to the audience about what they are thinking is a great one.


MAKING MYSTERIES

The biggest problem with these is that GMs too often figure out one thing about their mystery that is, indeed, clever, but not enough to run a whole mystery from ("It LOOKS like the butler did it, but really it was the cute girl.") This results in Game Masters who refuse to give out any information because if they tip their hand at all, you'll solve the mystery and solve it all at once. And then you get a bad case of the head scratches as the GM constantly drops deliberately obtuse and cryptic hints, the players have no idea what to do with it, and then the GM starts complaining that the players aren't "figuring it out" even though he really can't give them anything to go with.
  • Create layers. Several layers.
  • In each layer, have several related mysteries:
  • Each mystery has several components, so you flesh out those components, and give them some sub components.
  • Approach the creation of layers in reverse:
  • Start with the big reveal
  • then work your way back to the smaller mysteries.
Using our one liner above as an example, ("It LOOKS like the butler did it, but really it was the cute girl.") two things stand out.
First, why would we assume the butler did it? Perhaps he WANTED us to assume he did it. Why? Perhaps he believed his son did it, and wants to protect him. There's a sub mystery right there. But how can we further develop that? Why would he assume his son would do it, and how can we make this less obvious to the players? Perhaps his son doesn't KNOW who his father is. Perhaps he believes the murder victim is. And perhaps the murder victim was going to screw the son over and when the Butler discovered things, he tried to cover it up, and when that didn't work, is trying to frame himself to protect his son (who didn't even do it. Won't he be relieved?)
What else? Well, why would the girl kill the old man? Maybe she was in love with the son and he spurned her. Perhaps she's much more spoiled than she let on, and so she was trying to talk the murder victim into writing the son out of the will (which explains why the Butler was afraid his son would flip out), and when that didn't work, got pissed and killed him, and then tried to frame the son (which further concerned the butler).
This gives us a slew of material to work with, mysteries within the mystery that lead us to greater revelations. First, we try to figure out who killed him: We can afford to give them plenty of clues, several of which will point them to the Butler. But further investigation will suggest the butler is covering up for the young man, and then it turns out that the young man is, in fact, the butler's illegitimate son. Revelations! It was all this adopted heir! And he killed him because he was being written out of the will! Except certain parts of the story don't add up, so before the heroes can wrap it all up, they realize the prim and cute girl was the one trying to persuade the victim to change his will, and that she'd tried to have a relationship with the boy, only to be spurned, and then bam, the final pieces fall into place, and we have a heckuva memorable mystery.
The same premise can apply to anything: What's the secret of the ancient manuscript? Where does the tomb of the final templar lie? Who is really behind the cattle mutilitations of New Mexico?


Role-Playing Non-Combat

Social roleplaying is a little more complicated. Generally, romance, drama and intrigue come down to hard choices. Whom do you betray? Whom do you commit to? How far are you willing to go? In alot of ways, I think this is the meat of a good RPG in any case, because choice is what RPGs are all about. If you're just fighting an endless stream of monsters, you're not doing anything you couldn't do better on a computer.
The core of drama is to make these choices as equally appealing (or unappealing) as you can. The rule of thumb is "Damned if you do, damned if you don't." There should be no "Right" answer (which isn't to say every answer is HORRIBLY wrong, unless you're playing a horror game, but those can be depressing). Every benefit should have a trade off, and if your players stop and see everything spreading before them and really can't decide, agonizing over each choice, you've really done your job well.
My favorite example of this is a spy scenario I dreamed up once: Imagine a soviety spy who has infiltrated an American base. While there, her life is saved a couple of times by an American captain, who falls for her and her for him. She finds herself growing content in her new life, but it cannot remain so forever: one the one hand, the CIA is begining to suspect that there's a spy in their midst, turning up the heat on her. The KGB begins to suspect she's gone to the other side, and sends an agent to "check up" on her. Making matters worse, the American captain is ordered to engage an attack on a soviet special interest, putting her into the final bind: she must decide where her loyalties lie. If she tells the KGB of the attack, her lover will surely die. If she does not, this special interest will fall and she'll be cut off from her country forever. If it seems to obvious, like the player would certainly choose the lover, we ramp up the consequences of that, perhaps putting some of her family in the line of fire if the attack goes off.
What matters is that we have a choice, it's a tough choice, and that this choice has consequences that will reveberate through the game.
The other half of social play is convincing and interesting NPCs. They need to have a good look, an interesting personality, and be simple enough that the PCs can sum them up pretty quickly if necessary. But they also need their own agendas and a reason to be in the game. All too often I see GMs who introduce love interests whose sole purpose in life is to be loved by the hero, or a rival whose sole purpose in life is to antagonize the hero. These seldom hold attention for long, and tend to feel railroady ("Look, it's a princess. You love her, right?"). So I ensure that all NPCs have a secondary role that ensures that, should a player dismiss them as a love interest or rival, I can shrug and keep them in the game for a completely different reason, clearly signaling that they do, in fact, have a choice in the matter. It also tends to ensure they're multi-dimensional. Perhaps the princess seeks to save her kingdom and has hired the heroes to help her do so. Whether or not the hero falls in love with her after that is immaterial (but interesting). Perhaps the rival seeks an alliance to the kingdom and the princess's hand and, completely paranoid, believes that the hero seeks to steal her away (the fact that she's crushing on the prince doesn't help anything).
Tough choices, interesting NPCs who exist for a variety of reasons and have their own desires, and consequences to your actions tend to form the basis, in my opinion, of any social roleplaying situation.
It needs a fairly different approach to games I've run in the past. Players need big, up-front goals for their characters that they don't keep secret. We also use a specific scene structure, and hash through the agenda of each scene before I begin narration. That keeps scenes busy if they need to be, relaxed if they need to develop character rather than plot. We also spent the first session developing the background and story arc of the first season, so everyone was on board with the point of it all.


SOAP OPERA

Introduction

One of the more difficult things to sustain is a long-term game wherein the characters are able to develop meaningfully as people. The ongoing presentation of challenge after challenge familiarizes the players with only a handful of non-player characters that are necessary only to overcome the obstacles at hand. While it is not uncommon practice for Storytellers to utilize recurring characters to fill these roles, this in its own way only serves to further limit the types of interaction available to the players or to give a simple answer to the problem. In the following paragraphs I will describe a methodology that runs contrary to these techniques and has resulted in multiple lasting games. This methodology may be applied to any game, but seems to work best for the World of Darkness due to its psychodramatic themes.

The Soap Opera

The key to the methodology is the continuous introduction of new characters and story elements. This is similar to daytime television dramas, some of which have been running continuously since the seventies. I would not expect anyone to play the same role-playing game for thirty years, but it does seem to be a model worth emulating if one wishes to have a long-lasting chronicle.

Each season of a soap opera, a name referring to the original sponsors of daytime dramas, introduces new characters and complications at regular intervals, some of which remain unresolved for years. By emulating this, a role-playing game can be made engaging and challenging indefinitely. Perhaps the most important aspect of this style is that there is never a point at which everything is resolved. By always leaving loose ends, and important loose ends at that, the players' interest is maintained.

The Cast

None of this is possible without a large cast of characters. Again referring to daytime television, the main characters are often related by blood, as in All My Children, or by employment, like General Hospital, they have enormous ancillary casts of characters. Over it's 37 year run, All My Children has had 199 lead characters. The challenge here is to strike a balance between introducing new characters, each of whom must be at least somewhat unique and offer a new opportunity for stories, and building upon existing characters.

Lead Characters

Fortunately the World of Darkness is structured in a way that encourages the creation of this cast. Each game features a social structure that cannot possibly be filled out exclusively by player characters. Ask yourself, what factions are present in the setting? Who is in power? Who opposes them? Just by naming these characters you'll have generated a significant part of the cast and probably a couple story ideas.

Supporting Characters

Filling in the lead characters is easy and no mystery. It's very common for these characters to be named even in a beginning Storyteller's chronicle. Supporting characters are another story. The supporting characters are folks like body guards, accountants, and nannies. Anyone who is close to a lead character can have, but doesn't necessarily need, a name. It's not uncommon for players to name those related to their own characters in this manner, but few Storytellers take the time to name the servant of another named character. This is, in my opinion, a mistake. By naming these characters it gives the players another thing to latch onto. An unnamed goon is unlikely to be remembered, but Hammerfist Hadly, the loyal retainer of the Daeva primogen, might be directly approached. The character might even develop into an important contact. I strongly recommend naming at least two supporting characters for each lead character in a chronicle.

Relationships

Building up the cast can be as simple as writing a list of names. Adding a single line description of that character's relationship to one or more of the other characters will generate a huge number of potential story lines though. Expanding that line to a paragraph can aid the Storyteller in building an impressively deep set of stories.

Shaking Things Up

Soap operas are so successful because they build rapport with the viewer by maintaining a consistent cast for years. However for sweeps week, a period when the Nielson ratings are tabulated for sponsors, it's very common to do something exceptionally dramatic or unexpected to draw in more viewers. Weddings, murders, and the introduction of new characters are common tactics. Since we have no real sponsors, though it could be argued that the players themselves are the sponsors, we have to work out for ourselves when the best time to do this is.

I recommend hitting the players with a new character any time they venture into a new social milieu or when they have become comfortable with the status quo. That will add a degree of realism and keep them on their toes.

Murdering a well known character, especially one which the players have come to rely on, can have unexpected consequences. Players will hopefully be shocked, but the Storyteller must also be prepared for them to be angry. It may be perceived as an arbitrary maneuver to weaken their characters. New groups and groups that have had problems with trust especially may react in this manner. If you still want to attempt this tactic with such groups I recommend providing some opportunity to rescue the ally.

Weddings are a mainstay in soap opera because it puts a nice cap on what has typically been a multi-season love affair. Utilizing this device in a role-playing game can be difficult though because with few exceptions the players will mostly be male. Weddings however can be an excellent backdrop for conspiracies, murders, and other such events.

Layering

A large cast of characters, described in such a fashion that they have conflicting goals, can easily generate enough story lines to sustain a very long campaign even if they are addressed one at a time. However, by dealing with these conflicts as individual problems the game will hit points where everything of importance seems to be resolved. Essentially, the game will find a natural end. Instead, consider layering these conflicts so there are always two or more pressing problems that demand the player characters' attentions.

The Order of Disorder

Throwing out all of the plot hooks at once will most likely result in the players attempting to connect too many disparate elements or worse a complete failure to act. Instead it is advisable to dole out the plots at fairly regular intervals. Every session or two offer up another clue regarding one of the story lines via non-player character interaction. This can take the form of a rumor, an offer to join one conspiracy or another, an unexpected attack, etc.

Ultimately this should result in a situation where the players must seek and gain allies while making hard decisions regarding the allocation of their resources. If the lead characters have been structured as I describe above gaining allies also results in gaining enemies, which may in turn result in more story lines that can be pointed at the player characters.

The real point of layering things is to avoid ever having a lull in the action. Try not to completely overwhelm the players with too many story lines, but keep things coming at least as quickly as the stories are resolved. The diagram below is a visual representation of this idea.

Story A
Story B
Story C

NPC vs. NPC

As I mention above the non-player characters are in conflict with each other. These conflicts are at the center of the stories that the player characters will find themselves at the beginning of the chronicle. Later, as the player characters have been more thoroughly integrated into the setting, their own conflicts will provide more than enough story lines to keep them occupied. At first though it must be expected that they will become embroiled in the conflicts of others.

In conventional games these conflicts will not progress, change, or be resolved except by the intervention of the player character protagonists. This is typically done to simplify the Storyteller's job and to make the player characters the center of the story. However, I consider this to be a mistake. Regardless of whether the players choose to involve themselves in the interaction of the non-player characters these story lines should progress for two reasons; verisimilitude and to escalate the conflict.

Even though this is a game, it makes the pretense of being set in a version of the real world. This makes it important that things progress in a natural fashion and that just like in the real world things go on whether anyone is looking or not. Characters or groups that have a stated animosity towards each other should engage in activities designed to harm their enemy even if the players have chosen to distance themselves from the conflict. Characters that have constructive goals and the power to pursue them should do so, even if the players have chosen not to aid or hinder them. Verisimilitude is not however an excuse for the Storyteller to engage in arbitrary action on the behalf of non-player characters. Everything that occurs must be rational and teleological or the Storyteller risks violating the players' trust.

By following this strategy, many plot hooks that do not initially attract the attention of the players can be recycled and offered to them again. For example: The players are made aware of a feud between two non-player characters before the game commences as part of the setting brief. They choose to pursue other story lines or perhaps to actively avoid the feud. Regardless of this decision the two characters should continue their private war. This can be brought to the players' attentions by circulating rumors regarding the acts of the two feuding non-player characters and/or by having one of them approach one or more of the players asking for aid. Even if the players refuse to become involved the conflict continues. Other persons are dragged into the fight and the stakes are raised until the players do choose to become involved or it is logical that one of the parties should fail. The failure of one of the parties may in fact be more desirable because it may produce a power vacuum, introducing more characters that the players must then deal with.

Conclusion

By following the strategy I have outlined above a Storyteller rapidly establishes a highly interactive cast of characters that grow and evolve over time. While this represents a significant investment of time before the game begins, each of at least a dozen characters must be defined at this time, this is the most preparation that will need to be performed at any point throughout the run of the game. And this preparation need not be too detailed. As little as a name and a statement of the character's goals is enough to get started. Simply accounting for the characters' actions as they work towards their goals will generate further conflict and from that further story. Additionally, once this work is completed, the cast of characters is easily recycled for other games.

Where do the Players Fit?

While this methodology creates a self sustaining environment it can be difficult to get the players involved without contrivance. All of the non-player characters are bound together by a variety of alliances and animosities, and unless the players are made aware of all of them they might find it difficult to write their characters into the story.

To preserve the mystery and surprise it may not be desirable to expose everything to the players. I strongly recommend preparing a story brief, a short summary of everything known about the other characters in the story, to overcome this. It should include known feuds, power struggles, and pet projects for all of the non-player characters that will be featured in the game. The players can then be encouraged to take sides and write their place in those conflicts into their characters.

Another means of getting the players immediately involved can be borrowed from Exalted. Have each player select a motivation for his or her character. This is a simple, single sentence, statement of the character's long-term goals. The character's motivation gives the player something to work towards in every session and the Storyteller a better idea of whether the player characters will work well together.

Even with a motivation defined it is possible that the characters will drift around for several sessions until the players find their place in the story. This tendency can be frustrating for both the players and the Storyteller. To circumvent it, I recommend having the players each define three to five short term goals for themselves. These may or may not tie into the characters' motivations, but I recommend that all of them require the players to interact with one or more non-player characters.

Example

The following mind map illustrates the lead vampire characters for Of Blood and Dust.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v150/king_kaboom/Game%20Stuff/OfBloodDust.png

The map describes both the covenant and clan/bloodline affiliations of this cast of 20 characters.

Conflict

The characters are arrayed against each other in such a way that builds conflict. At a macro level there exists the standing animosity between the covenents, the simple distaste that the clans have for each other, and the distrust that parent clans have for their bloodlines. There is also the "us against them" mentality of the Bruja in operation at this level. If one reviews the background of the characters numerous personal conflicts are described as well. To summarize them:

  • Esperanza is angry at Noble for frenzying on her
  • Noble has taken the conflict between the Carthians and the Bruja to a personal level
  • Ronnie wants to get back at Consuelo
  • Mikos is attempting to keep Consuelo under control, and failing
  • Consuelo is angry at the world and looking for any fight she can get
  • Rutger is plotting to destroy all of the Kindred in Reno
  • Talon Blackwood wants to have sole control of the Circle of the Crone
  • Michaela is trying to maintain control over her brood while eying Mikos and the other elders hungrily
  • Arnie Welsch wants out of the gang
  • Edna wants Donald to love her
  • Olga wants to kill Michaela and take over
  • Donald wants to get back at Consuelo
  • Cosimo is trying to manipulate a spirit court without coming into conflict with the Uratha
  • Monica is trying to steal Rutger's secrets
  • Paul wants to escape his servitude
  • Mother wants to kill Tongue and destroy the Bruja
  • Tongue wants to control the city from the shadows
  • Markus is controlling the city from the shadows and wants to keep it that way
  • Herve wants to understand the messages from God he sees and to destroy those who would harm him (everyone)
  • Juanita is trying to be normal

Note that not all of these conflicts are necessarily physical and not all of them are even between two characters. Some are between the character and themselves, some between the character and his or her nature. Any one of these conflicts would make a suitable adventure unto itself and by exploring them one at a time a pretty long running chronicle could be sustained, especially after integrating the player characters and their conflicts into the mix. However, going about it like that would emphasize the resolution of each conflict without necessarily requiring the characters to grow in the process or spawning additional conflicts.

Divided Loyalties

Also notice how, except where there is a childe/sire bond exists, it is very common for members of the same clan to possess antagonistic political agendas. This creates questions of loyalty and whether the characters will go as far to destroy their opponents when they are, after a fashion, family. The Filhos des Bruja are something of an exception to this made specifically for this chronicle. The Bruja are intended to be the default antagonists. They represent a destructive status quo that may be united against. For the sake of verisimilitude a couple weaknesses have been written into the characters that may be exploited by players, but divided loyalties are not among them.

Divided loyalties are, in my opinion, crucial to include. They help give characters dimension and offer opportunities for dramatic betrayals. This is different from the common bait and switch tactic of having an ally betray the player characters without warning because it allows for foreshadowing and gives a logical reason for the duplicitous action. More importantly, because everyone has divided loyalties, the players will typically not see it coming anyway.

Foreground and Background

By accepting that all of these conflicts exist in the story from the very beginning and introducing them to the players as they encounter the NPCs, being careful not to reveal more than would naturally come out in the course of conversation, it lends all of the scenes a greater sense of realism. It also offers the players more and more things to identify with, exploiting the players' innate sympathy. The job then becomes following up with the ideas that were most interesting for the players; offering them opportunities to become involved if they do not involve themselves.

Keeping the remainder of the conflicts running in the background can be challenging. However, it is worth it to spend a few minutes between sessions to write a single sentence about what has happened regarding each specific conflict. How has it changed? Who has gained the upper hand? Who else has become involved and how? All of this maintains the sense of realism and builds depth into the game. It also keeps the non-player character interaction fresh. Every time a player encounters the non-player character he or she has new information to give, new problems to talk about, and new events that have transpired.



MOOD & THEME

Mood and theme are vital elements of any story, and therefore an important addition to any role playing game. The mood of a game is the feeling the game as a whole is supposed to engender in the player, be it one of fear, paranoia or lighthearted humor. Theme, by contrast, amounts to the moral of the story being told.

Mood

Mood helps set the emotional stage not only for a chronicle as a whole, but for each story that makes up that chronicle. Although it can vary from story to story, overall the emotional tone should remain largely consistent throughout. The appropriate mood is set by the Storyteller of the chronicle and can be easily manipulated using such simple things are background lighting and music.

Examples of Mood

A chronicle in which the predominant mood is fear typically includes scenes steeped in darkness, with frequent horrors visited upon those in the characters proximity -- or aimed at the character -- to keep players from ever feeling quite comfortable. The Storyteller of such a chronicle might keep lighting dim and have little music save to highlight the unknown.

Paranoia is a common theme in Storyteller games and encourages the players (and their characters) to be afraid of everything and everyone they encounter. Trust is never an option, and every new piece of information should be suspect. Storytellers encouraging a mood of paranoia might want to give seeming importance to unimportant characters at times, while underrating their villains -- but only sometimes. Better that players never be quite sure whether that well-described Man in the Cloak is their arch-villain or some random street person; likewise, random events should take place that keep the characters in constant fear for their lives. Dark is an excellent setting for this mood, an soft instrumental pieces might ad a nice touch as well.

Although found only rarely in White Wolf games, sometimes a Storyteller wants a light-hearted mood as a way to break the predominant mood of a chronicle. Bright lights and pleasant music tend to be the order of the day, while characters should smile and laugh frequently and obvious sources of danger should be virtually non-existent. Usually a light-hearted mood is best used to break the constant stress of the darker moods more prevelant in Storyteller games.

Theme

The theme of a story should be determined by a Storyteller before a chronicle begins and rarely changes from one story to the next. In many ways the theme of a story is its moral, the idea the Storyteller hopes to teach to the players through the medium of role playing.

Examples of Theme

Loss is quite possibly the most-used theme in both the Old World of Darkness and the new World of Darkness. From the slow, inexorable loss of sanity in Vampire: The Requiem to the rapid loss of ignorance -- and innocence -- in Hunter: The Reckoning, loss is an all-encompassing theme that a Storyteller can use to highlight the hardships of the World of Darkness. Storytellers can highlight the theme of loss using reminders both subtle and otherwise. When the characters encounter a child searching for a lost toy it highlights the theme of loss just as well as when a close friend suffers at the hands of an enemy.

Another theme common to the World of Darkness games is pointless violence. Whether the characters are Uratha defending their families and homes against the ceaseless aggression of Blood Talon warriors in Werewolf: The Forsaken or holy men hunted by the Holy Office for the simple crime of being pagan, mindless violence is everywhere in the world. By revealing the pointlessness of conflicts -- a thief murdering a man for a paltry three dollars, for example -- the Storyteller can emphasize this theme without much effort.

Loyalty. It is difficult to maintain neutrality in the World of Darkness, where factions conflict constantly. Clan versus clan; tribe against tribe; Hierarchy and Renegade: how are the characters able to navigate this dangerous world? Will they know when to be loyal to their allies and when to remain neutral? Enemies will try to coerce, and allies will connive, and the difficulty in determining what the best course of action may be can be an important theme in any game. One way to reinforce this theme is through treachery; if a character's allies cannot be trusted, who can? And what about the enemy who suddenly offers an alliance of convenience -- how long will such an alliance last?

The End is Nigh! and inevitability are particularly useful themes, particularly in the old World of Darkness. Hunter: The Reckoning, as a game, is based on this very concept, but each of the supernatural entities must face inevitable extinction be it through Gehenna, Changeling: The Dreaming's Endless Winter or the Apocalypse of Werewolf: The Apocalypse fame. This theme can be emphasized by increasing random encounters with other supernatural creatures, dire warnings about the end of the world and even prophetic advice from normally pragmatic individuals. All other themes can easily be tied into this particular theme because the End is all about loss, meaninglessness and ever-changing loyalties as factions seek to stave off the inevitable.


UNFORGETABLE GAMES

Most of us know how to run a good game, but what makes a game unforgettable? Here's a list of storytelling elements that will give your players chills.

  • Put discreet elements of something weird going on for the players to discover themselves. Like small pieces of puzzles you give away slowly until they have enough to make sense of the big picture. For example, the location players visit has strange (spy) rats everywhere. Include the presence of rats subtly in every description of the place, until the players discover it on their own. Perhaps there is also an NPC with rat-like features (he sniffs a lot, his body type resembles it too, he smells cheese) but these features are given sparingly. When the players discover the rat presence, they will suddenly worry about this NPC.
  • Use tridimensional characters. Avoid stereotypes and clarify their motivations and drives.
  • Use elaborate descriptions. Read a random descriptive paragraph from a Tolkien book. The attention to details is key and the use of poetic language can turn a boring room into a place full of mysteries. Also, if your players are used to large descriptions, it will be easier to add some key elements of the place in your description that requires their attention, without making it too obvious.
  • Add plots or side plots that involve the players personally. Perhaps the shipping company that was used to send the drugs is owned by a player's family member (his dad?). Maybe a player failed to help an NPC who ran away in a previous game. Now, on a completely unrelated note, the NPC finds himself tied to the main plot, because of the player's behavior.


Bluebooking

The first real and still best solution was proposed back in 1988. "Bluebooking" was first described by Aaron Allston in the Champions supplement Strike Force. The 'blue book' in question is a standard (in the U.S.) note book used to answer essay questions during college exams. Instead of using it to figure out whether you passed or failed, the blue book was used for a variety of scenes (or even mini adventures) that occured in the downtime (or unplayed gaps) in the main campaign.
This "blue booking" allows for roleplaying which is important to the character, but not for the troupe, or the main plot line. Character romance is a common use, because it tends to make people uncomfortable. However, it allows players to run "side adventures" in the "down time" between active runs. These could be personal investigations, interaction with the cast of characters around the character's secret ID (Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Perry White, and Clark's neighbors when dealing with Superman), research activities, or even just introspective roleplaying. All of these things would bogg down a game if the player did them durring a session (in most cases), so by doing them via a bluebook (or scene journal, which is another name for them), allows the player to explore these areas without bogging down the game.
The process, in short, is the player writes out a play session of what their character does solo, or with the permission of another player, with other characters. (Sometimes a blue book is passed back and forth between the involved characters.) It should be written in story format, but does not have to be. The GM reads over what is done and either approves it, approves it conditionally (needs changes), or denys that it could happen. Approved blue book entries become part of the campaign's continuity. Most GM's will award experience, luck, or some kind of reward for blue book activities.
What comes out is much like what you do in a freeform or play by post roleplay game. You post a scene (or three) up that explains what your character is doing.
I have used this technique to good application. It does require a player with storytelling or actor orientations

to be most useful. Story or Character oriented players can produce a huge amount of material to add to the campaign. Players with characters who have deep secrets will also have fertile fodder for scene journals. This allows for them to follow their secrets in safety of IC and OOC knowledge. The other player types will use it only to keep track of their downtime training, studying, and investigations.

It can add a great deal to a group campaign, when the characters are supposed to opperate solo most of the time while "off camera". It also frees up the GM's time, as scene journals can be reviewed between game sessions.
Some people do journal entries over email. The reason I like scene journals in books over email is that I have a tangible record that I can access at all times, rather than clogging up my email box and files. I have posted a number of scenes journal entries to my campaign notebook (indexed in back) so I can pull up those scenes and thrust appropriate elements into the main campaign line. This is not to say I am against emails. Many of my players have worked scenes out with each other via email, printed it out, and posted it in their scene journal. Others send me vauge outlines of scenes they want to do via email for tennitive approval. It is not the "End All" of game tools, but it is a useful one in your gaming arsenal.


"How do you support and cultivate your local scene?"

I help run NerdNYC. We have around 40 die hard members, run bi-weekly events that attract 20-30 people, quarterly events that attract 80-100 people, and an overall active base of 150 people with many more inactive.
If NerdNYC was a boardgame, when it works, it looks like this...
  • Appoint leaders
  • Distribute responsibilities (so no one is overwhelmed)
  • Create plan (or update)
  • Create brand (or update)
  • Create website (or update)
  • Raise resources (donations or sponsorships)
  • Buy promo materials (cards & shirts)
  • Find nerd events (cons, stores)
  • Promote brand (run booth, seminars, & games)
  • Identify new friendly nerds
  • Direct to website (cards)
  • Maintain new friendly nerds' interest and kill time between events (goof off on website)
  • Find event space
  • Find event organizers
  • Find sponsors
  • Announce events via website
  • Run game events (rpgs, boardgames: play games, make friends)
  • Run social events (picnics, paintball, movies: make friends, play games)
  • Build social network (new friendly nerds form their own sub groups)
  • Maintain social network
  • Debriefing (what can we improve or change)
  • Repeat cycle
We've been in a bit of a lag and my life has been in utter turmoil the last 6-7 months. But we are running a 1 day event at the upcoming Big Apple Comic Con, are restructuring our leadership team, revamping the website and more in the coming 4 months.
Our biggest problem is that it is easy to find space for 30 or 100 people. Finding space for 150 people becomes very, very hard in nyc. Keeping motivated leaders is a challenge. Running booths at cons becomes hellish after a while. We were IPR at cons for 1-2 years before IPR was formed. And it burned out the people involved. Yet that was one of the best ways to attract more people. Selling shirts was also great in building comradery. But tracking stock was a pain. There are better options now that need to be readdressed. It also becomes very difficult to host a movie night when you have grown past 30 people. Also, the more successful in some ways, the more people break off into their own sub groups. Some people are very excited to form a community when they want to make friends but once they make those friends people tend to settle down. Our age demographics range from 18-60 with the core between 28-36 and many leaders drawn from that core. Another problem is people running out of time having families at that age and working jobs that demand hours between 50-70 hours a week. Definitely a huge challenge. Lots of work for a non profit enterprise (especially in nyc when you can use as much money as possible). But when you see everyone gathered in a room together having fun... it's awesome!
I'm hoping in the summer to run 1-shots in public stores for non nerdnyc members to recruit and help people form their own gaming groups. As well as running more seminars at cons such as women in gaming, mature themes in gaming, expanding gaming communities, and more.
I just wish I wasn't as busy so I can do more. I work 60 hours a week easily, run several companies, and travel all over the world on a sometimes monthly basis. Plus we're couch surfing while our place is under serious construction. But I need more gaming! Hahahahaha. We have so many amazing people living in NY!


Background & 3x3

Every section you fill out will award your character 1 extra PP. This must be sent back to me as a file, not as paper, for you to get your points. Please do not write any more than one line. Feel free to fill these out as we go along. A. Once the NPCs are "handed over" they're totally the GM's to develop B. These NPCs are not permanent in their "category", for example if you do something role-playing in-game that makes a Contact dislike you then they might fall OUT of the "contact" and become an enemy. C. These NPCs may or may not show up soon. I go with the note that these NPCs aren't "canon" in-game continuity until I introduce them in campaign. Meaning, I don't want players to say "I'll just go to xxx for help". I'm cool with players asking to go find xxx but not just assuming they'll be there waiting for them.
3 x Friends NPCs connected to your PC, someone who would help you because they care about you. From your father, to a loyal fan, to someone willing to die for you.
3 x Enemies NPCs connected to your PC, someone who dislikes, hates or has a grudge on your character. From a childhood bully, to someone who thought you cheated them in poker, to someone wanting you dead.
3 x Locations Placed created in/for the setting that is connected to the PC, someplace that is special good or bad to your character. From the place your parents were killed, to your childhood home, to a place you watch the sunrise.
3 X Contacts NPCs connected to your PC, someone who would help you because you pay or trade favor with them. From the neighborhood bartender, to a police commissioner, to an old friend.
3 X Organizations A group created for the setting that is connected to the PC, something for which the PC has worked for or against. From a police org, to a secret society, to a big corporate machine, a planet that you have visited and saved, or even an interesting place that you have been. Anything that represents more than one person.
3 X Secrets These could be mistakes that you have made in your past. Knowledge of your past crimes, or even your families. Anything that you would prefer to not be known by others.
3 X Goals What is the purpose continuing to do what you are doing, why have you not settled down with a family yet? What would you like to see accomplished by the end of the campaign?
3 X History What are some of the most important aspects of your history?


Another 3x3 Breakdown

" PC NAME "
File:???.gif
NAME:  ???
1st APP:  ???
QUOTE:  : "...???..."
BORN:  :  ???
HOMETOWN:  :  ???
EDUCATION/CAREER:  :  ???
RELATIVES/CONNECTIONS:  :  ???
US CITIZENSHIP STATUS:  :  ???
GROUP AFFILIATIONS:  :  ???
KNOWN POWERS/ABILITIES:  :  ???

CIVILIAN IDENTITY: PC Name

mini-concept bio... ???
Code Names, Press Given Names, Clever Nicknames:  ???
Marital Status:  ???
Known Relatives: ???
Height / Weight:  ???
Archenemy:  ???
Favorite Movie, radio show, fictional character, etc..:  ???
Catch Phrase:  ???


BIO Brief

???


What is your Heroic Motivation?

???


Complications or Character Flags

These complication or flags are things that tell the GM what the PLAYERS are interested in doing with their characters in the game. The advantage here is that the GM can look at these flags and tailor events in the game so folks are getting what they want for their characters. Any Complications on your character sheet are also flags to the GM of things you as a player want your character to confront in the game.

???


3x5

Allies

Allies are people that care about your character enough to aid them without payment.

  •  ??name?? [age ??]:
  • gender, race, rank, sobriquet, etc...
  • Brief character description and personality.
  • Short Background, why they know me.
  • Brief Skill/Abilities of note.
  • When/Where last scene by me.


  •  ??name?? [age ??]:
  • gender, race, rank, sobriquet, etc...
  • Brief character description and personality.
  • Short Background, why they know me.
  • Brief Skill/Abilities of note.
  • When/Where last scene by me.


  •  ??name?? [age ??]:
  • gender, race, rank, sobriquet, etc...
  • Brief character description and personality.
  • Short Background, why they know me.
  • Brief Skill/Abilities of note.
  • When/Where last scene by me.


Contacts

Contacts are people that would aid your character but require some sort of payment or promise.

  • Silence makes Victims [age 45]:
  • gender, race, rank, sobriquet, etc...
  • Brief character description and personality.
  • Short Background, why they know me.
  • Brief Skill/Abilities of note.
  • When/Where last scene by me.


  •  ??name?? [age ??]:
  • gender, race, rank, sobriquet, etc...
  • Brief character description and personality.
  • Short Background, why they know me.
  • Brief Skill/Abilities of note.
  • When/Where last scene by me.


  •  ??name?? [age ??]:
  • gender, race, rank, sobriquet, etc...
  • Brief character description and personality.
  • Short Background, why they know me.
  • Brief Skill/Abilities of note.
  • When/Where last scene by me.


Enemies

Enemies are people that dislike your character for any reason, minor as a slight grudge or anything greater.

  •  ??name?? [age ??]:
  • gender, race, rank, sobriquet, etc...
  • Brief character description and personality.
  • Short Background, why they know me.
  • Brief Skill/Abilities of note.
  • When/Where last scene by me.


  •  ??name?? [age ??]:
  • gender, race, rank, sobriquet, etc...
  • Brief character description and personality.
  • Short Background, why they know me.
  • Brief Skill/Abilities of note.
  • When/Where last scene by me.


  •  ??name?? [age ??]:
  • gender, race, rank, sobriquet, etc...
  • Brief character description and personality.
  • Short Background, why they know me.
  • Brief Skill/Abilities of note.
  • When/Where last scene by me.


Locations

(list 3 locations in the game setting that are important to your character, important can be "good" or "bad"; list name, your relationship, the concept in 1-2 sentences, when last you were there.)

  •  ???
  •  ???
  •  ???


Organizations

(list 3 groups in the game setting that are important to your character, important can be "good" or "bad"; list name, your relationship, the concept in 1-2 sentences, what they may be up to now.)

  •  ???
  •  ???
  •  ???





STAT BUILD

 ???

ABILITIES:

SKILLS:

FEATS:

POWERS:

COMBAT:

SAVES:

DRAWBACKS:

COMPLICATIONS:


PC Campaign Questions & RPG Book Ideas

  • 3 descriptors that a stranger would notice about a character after a minute of interacting with him (I think I stole this one from someone here but can't remember who it was). These can be physical traits, mannerisms, or props. For instance, one of my wife's characters was "tall, willowy, with a big ol' mole on her face."
  • I found background "questionnaires" not as good a tool as you might expect to provide character hooks, guidance and ideas.
  • Have the characters describe a dream sequence the morning before they awaken on the first day of the adventure. Give them plenty of time to come up with it in written form and email it around to the group. I'd say the only requirement might be that it have to do with the character's past. It's a nice way to force them to come up with an emotionally pivotal moment in their past the means a lot to the PC. Plus, telling the others will at least set the stage for their PCs to understand each other on an emotional level that comes with close company but that the players might be slower to pick up on... Of course, this does lend itself to players who are more of storytellers, and are more experienced, and you may have trouble really getting newbies hooked with it...
  • Burning Wheel Beliefs from Burning Wheel are great -- just boil down the character to 2 or 3 essential beliefs.A Belief is something the character believes about the world, themselves, etc. By listing a character's Beliefs, you get a handle on what the character thinks and feels, how the character is likely to behave, and what he or she cares about. Instincts are things a character always does, something he or she always does. That way, you don't need to check at the beginning of each scene 'ok, who's armed? Who's checked under the bed for assassins, who's..." and so on. You just know what everyone's Instincts are. Instincts can get you into trouble, though, because they are something a character does unless the player specifies otherwise. "Always Armed," for example, can be a very dangerous Instinct in political games...
  • Cyberpunk 2020. The lifepath system in that game makes it easy to make a skeleton of a backstory, in such a way that it's easy to mine for plot ideas. When I play other games, the way I encourage character building is by making the players write little stories. In GURPS, I'd have a player write a little bit about why they have a certain advantage, or a certain disadvantage, or even a certain item... in some cases, it's a bit of flavor and I never use it, in other cases, it takes on a life of its own.
  • Aspect writing from Fate 3.0 is a great way to distill background.
  • Theatrix is the concept of the "Primary Descriptor" - what does the player see as the character's main role in the game? For example, in a detective game one player might have a Primary Descriptor of "Good Cop Gone Bad." Or in High Fantasy a wizard might be "Kindly Father Figure". In Space Opera, "Wisecracking Ace Pilot".
  • Going around the table, every player tells the group something brief and introductory about their character and who they are or what they do (or about something they've done recently): career choices, personal history and opinions/prejudices, etc...
  • Everyone tells us their character's connection to whatever you all just heard from the player sitting to your left. The connection doesn't have to be as straightforward as "I fought in that battle too!" (or even, "I was on the other side of that battle") -- in fact, the more tenuous/remote but nevertheless connected you get, the better. The longer version -- that inspired this -- comes from Spirit of the Century, SOTC's 5-phase background creation approach, since that gives a player a chance to explore their history and get some traction on the character story -- and thus arc -- front. Add to that that the last two phases are "guest star" opportunities for the PC where he shows up in two other PCs' stories, and you've got instant selection of the two PCs who are to be the positive and negative force on the character's arc. It's a nearly seamless join between the two methods.
  • Write the back-cover blurb for your 1920's adventurer's first pulp novel (and then co-star in two others) as part of character creation:
SOTC randomises which novels you're involved with (shuffle and deal).
  • Arc Matrix - Submit a two-pronged character arc. This consisted of two opposed possible outcomes for their characters as they develop through the course of the campaign. Examples provided were:
  • Frodo Baggins: find the endurance to serve as the ringbearer, or give in to temptation and despair
  • Andy Sipocwicz: achieve redemption as a good cop, or allow his demons to consume him
Once the two-way arcs were established, each player was then to select one PC for whom he served as a good influence, and another he pulled toward the negative outcome. In this latter case, the characters didn’t have to be consciously bringing ruin to their comrades. Rather, by pursuing their agendas, they could be unknowingly inching friends toward their dark destines. expand the arc a bit, and break those outcomes down into objective and outcome (or doom!) a bit more precisely, as in the first character's arc. Something that speaks a bit more to character motivation gives both player and GM a concept to grasp onto and pass back and forth. The other characters' arcs don't have that, I think. Theirs are a good starting point, but what is the objective behind the desired outcome? The resulting matrix looks like this:

Arc Matrix.png

When inserting plot to connect and unify the various killing-them-and-taking-their-stuff sequences, I’ll be looking for ways to hook into these triadic relationships between the characters. Players know which character is an influence on which character. The role-playing will develop one way if the players are conscious of the charted relationships, and quite another if they aren't.
  • hit them with Bangs -- really interesting situations that force them to make decisions that matter to the characters and to the players. This means understanding character motivations. When we create the characters, I will get the players to write down some relationships they have to NPCs and PCs and the power structures of the world. These will probably be "people who matter" (to the fictional people in the setting), so everything the PCs do will cause ripples or even splashes in the pond of situation in the world.




 How To Use Props In Your Games - 8 Tips
 By Johnn Four
 1. Use Me-Props
 Avoid the trap of using props that are all about you the
 game master, and that have little to do with your players
 and their characters. It's easy to get wrapped up in
 handouts, charts, and pictures that show off your ideas and
 game world.
 While GM-focused props are interesting, and definitely
 better than nothing, you have an opportunity to wow your
 players by making your props all about them and their
 characters.
 Use props with consequences.
 One technique for this is to use props that have
 consequences and impact. For example, showing your group a
 map of your world helps your players conceptualize their
 characters' travels and the PCs' relative position within
 the land. This provides a bit of structure many gamers
 appreciate who would otherwise feel a bit lost when everyone
 talks about places and destinations.
 However, applying the me-props principle, how about making
 your world map more about your group's interests:
 * Place warnings. Add graphics of sea serpents and other
   monsters that actually indicate lairs and threats.
 * Issue challenges. Add text that dares the PCs to cross
   these lands or wander near those caves.
 * Useful reference. A map with a thousand dots and place
   names is useful, but mostly to you unless you are GMing a
   travel campaign. Instead, give your group a map dotted with
   ally locations, trading posts, training locations,
   information and contact points, secret routes and shortcuts,
   and hints and clues.
 * Exploration. What makes one place more interesting to
   explore than other? Communicate this on your map. The cliche
   map of just a few lines and an X works because it generates
   a sense of wonder, mystery, and excitement. How could you
   label and frame your map information to recreate mystery,
   wonder, and desire to explore (especially the locations for
   which you have adventures in mind).
 * Create blank versions of your maps, sparsely labeled, so
   players can log their travels or make notes important to
   them.
 Here's a test next time you plan a prop to see if it's a me-
 prop for your players. Ask yourself this:
   "Is this prop something each player is going to look at or
   pick-up once, and then put it down and not touch it again
   for the rest of the campaign?"


 2. Use Visceral Props
 Visceral: affecting emotions.
 Use props that will get a reaction out of your players.
 Perhaps you have a gargantuan dragon mini ready to scare
 your group with when the PCs enter the massive cavern. One
 option is to have it sitting by the table, ready for the
 battle map. Another option is to hide it, and to think of a
 cool entrance plan for maximum surprise and effect.
 Perhaps it's hiding in an innocent looking box, and just
 before you unleash the creature you call a break, clear the
 room, and set things up so when the players sit down again
 you punch away the box and play a loud thunder crack sound
 effect.
 Another technique is using memorabilia. Find something from
 yesteryear, such as an old toy or game, and give it a place
 in your adventure. Players will reminisce a bit, or have a
 surge of great memories, or just get excited. Soon, the
 real-life aspect of the prop will fade into the background
 and gaming can come into focus again, but for the rest of
 the campaign that prop will be treasured, and remembered.
 Look for props that invoke emotion:
 * Clothing and costumes. Not only to get into character
   better, but to stir each other up, get imaginations
   activated, and to feel different for awhile.
 * Mock weapons. Nothing dangerous please. :) Imagine the
   excitement generated after you or a player performs a
   representation of their critical strike and a loud,
   "hiiiiyah!"
 * Clues left behind by the villain that contain truly funny
   jokes.


 3. Find Props You Can Touch
 Photos, art, projected/computer maps and pics, and items
 from books and magazines make great props, but a prop that
 each player can touch, play with, experiment with, our use
 to accentuate their descriptions and roleplaying are
 wonderful. Use props everyone can touch, pass around the
 table, and pick up at any time.
 For example, one reader writes: "I use things to help my
 players feel what it is to be in a particular situation (one
 that can not happen in the real world). For example, to make
 them feel what it is to be in a purple worm belly, I use
 those non-toxic slimes they sell in stores. Or I can make
 them put their hands into a bowl full of baked macaroni to
 make them feel what it is to fall face first in a pool full
 of worms...YYEEEWWW! Disgusting."


 4. Get Props That Make Players Think
 The line between character knowledge and player knowledge is
 based on your GMing style and the preferences of your
 players, but if permitted, use props such as puzzles to
 engage players' minds and imaginations that also have impact
 on the PCs and the game.
 For example, cra2 writes, "I have a book of knots and I'll
 tie up some doozies of varying degrees of complexity. When a
 player tries to use his rope use skill or escape artist
 skill, I'll toss him a rope knot and say, 'undo it.'"
 Here is a web site that shows you how to tie cra2's doozies:
 http://www.animatedknots.com/
 Over the years I've collected books on puzzles, logic
 problems, and lateral thinking problems. Find ways to insert
 these into your campaigns.
 Another idea is word games. Not all players will enjoy word
 puzzles, but for those who do, this type of prop is a huge
 amount of fun. For example, you might make a crossword using
 in-game clues, and the password to get by a magic gate is
 one of the words from the crossword. A hint is that the word
 does not have a clue in the numbered entries.
 "Hey, there's no clue for word #13."
 "Oh really? Weird. Maybe that's significant?"
 Such props are a great way to keep idle players busy, or to
 have a small part of your group who are working together on
 the answers feel like they're still contributing to the
 campaign during a split group situation.
 I remember the fun I had with the code wheel from the old
 Gold Box D&D computer games. On game start you'd be
 presented with a code, and you'd need to use a cardboard
 wheel to get the reciprocal code to activate the game for
 play. The codes were all in Forgotten Realms languages, so
 it was a neat prop.


 5. Introduce Props At The Right Moment - They Are
   Distracting
 When you reveal your prop, gameplay will stop as the players
 check it out. If it's something small that can be handled,
 then expect a delay as players pass the prop around and take
 a few moments to examine it, make comments or jokes, and
 hand it on. If your prop has detail, expect several player
 questions and players spending time examining things
 closely. If the prop is a puzzle, your players will likely
 stop everything and try to solve it. If your prop requires
 assembly or set-up, expect more game delays.
 Think ahead and imagine how your group will react to your
 prop. If it's likely gameplay will come to a halt, then be
 strategic about its reveal.
 For example, if you have the option, introduce your prop
 toward the end of the session when energy typically flags.
 If it's a puzzle, wait until the very end of the game so
 players can work on it between sessions (unless you want to
 keep players busy with it in-game).
 If the prop is noisy or smelly, be aware of the real world
 timing. Late night noise doesn't go well with anyone trying
 to sleep upstairs.
 It might be appropriate to have a planned break just as the
 prop is introduced so the players can explore it without
 guilt or conflict. You want to avoid the situation of some
 players wanting to keep playing while some want to
 investigate the prop. An official, short break settles this
 issue nicely.
 If your prop is to generate a certain emotion, be aware of
 potential clashes with game mood and atmosphere. For
 example, if you hand out "magic" plastic clown masks to be
 used as weapons against the villain, but you had intended
 the villain battle to be dark and gritty, you are setting
 your tactics up for failure.


 6. Make Prop Copies To Allow Multiplayer Play
 It's frustrating as a player to not have access to an
 important prop. If possible, have copies of your prop handy
 so players don't have to wait for access, or if one player
 tends to hog things.
 Photocopy - or print out - multiple copies of puzzles and
 paper-based props. Try to find multiple versions for other
 types of props.
 Keep props in front of your GM screen so players don't lose
 them or set them out of reach of the other players.
 Consider putting props on display away from the game table
 so anyone can get up and look without disturbing others or
 finding the prop is inaccessible.
 Beware of props that require just one brain or set of hands
 to deal with. These become exclusionary. If you have the
 option, employ these props to single, isolated, or split-off
 PCs. While all players will want to check the prop out,
 they'll acknowledge that just the one PC has in-game access
 to the prop and they should leave the player alone with the
 prop in peace to solve or deal with.
 For example, you can use a dream or vision to strategically
 introduce the prop to a single PC. If you can make the prop
 setting neutral, then you can place it when the time is
 right for just one PC to find. An NPC might take a PC aside
 and give the prop just to them for safekeeping. And, fudging
 skill checks let you open a secret area to give the prop to
 a PC at your chosen moment.


 7. Avoid Fragile Props
 Props will be manhandled, dropped, dunked in pop and pizza,
 and otherwise abused, especially if they recur in multiple
 sessions. Is it ok if your prop gets damaged? If not, then
 take action to protect it.
 Warning your players to be careful with it is possible, but
 not fair to them. If a real, unavoidable accident does
 occur, then you end up with an upset player and a broken
 prop.
 Your best bet is to avoid fragile props. If that's not
 possible, then it's your responsibility to protect the prop:
 * Use a protective container
 * Have a do not touch policy
 * Only handle the prop yourself
 * Do not make it interactive in-game (if the PCs aren't
   supposed to touch it, then there's less pressure for the
   players to handle it)
 * Take a picture of it instead and bring the photo to the
   game


 8. 10 Props Ideas
 1) A Rubik's cube and a solutions book. Several solutions
 books give you patterns in addition to solutions to the
 original goal of getting all colours the same on all faces.
 You can use the alternate patterns as player challenges,
 with the book providing solutions for stuck players.
 Patterns might be used as keys to magical locks. The cube
 could be a magic item and each pattern generates a different
 effect. A pattern might be shown to a secret cult to gain
 admittance.
 You might also cut up the solutions book and have players
 quest for individual pages / solutions.


 2) Create potions with cheap, clear glass and plastic
 containers. Baby food jars, dice holders, and containers
 from all the stuff you buy. Go to dollar stores and yard
 sales to find more containers.
 With a small collection, you can get coloured, crystallized
 juice (i.e. Tang or Cool-Aid) to fill the containers up to
 craft nifty potions. You can also get coloured sand or
 crystals from craft stores for this purpose.


 3) Fake cigarettes. Wooden dowel is great for these. Cut the
 dowel into cigarette lengths. Paint 3/4 of each length
 white. Leave 1/4 brown. Roleplaying while holding one
 between your lips or in your hands.


 4) Hidden pictures. Find the childrens books where an
 artist has hidden animals and other shapes into the art.
 Give players a page and ask them to find what's hidden.
 Perhaps turn the request into a riddle or puzzle to add
 another fun element. Give them a page with the following
 animal hidden on it, along with the riddle:
   I have wings but I'm not a bird.
   I am small and colourful.
   I live in gardens and fields and forests.


 5) Halloween soon approaches. Get all the plastic swords,
 monster masks, pirate hats, and other props you can while
 they're in season!


 6) Candles, especially floating candles in tinted water, can
 create a great mood for a nighttime setting, in dingy
 castles or dungeons, or just a fantasy/medieval setting.
 Just remember to have adequate ventilation, or you'll put
 everyone to sleep as the oxygen levels drop, and the walls
 will get stained with soot. Also, be wary of potential fire
 hazards, such as curtains, posters, flammable pets and
 clumsy players! (From: Gareth)


 7) Headpieces. Hoods are a great way to convey mystery, or
 at least a different personality. Other headpieces, such as
 caps, crowns, scarves, (even tea towels for that middle
 eastern feel) are easy to get hold of. They are easy to put
 on and take off, and are immediately obvious to the group.
 (Plus, they don't usually get in the way of your notes, GM
 screen or dice rolling). An interesting option is to take a
 necklace with a large setting on it and wear it across your
 forehead...gives a real impression of something arcane and
 different. (From: Gareth)


 8) Bottles. Trying to impersonate a drunk, an apothecary, a
 healer or a shadowy figure selling mysterious potions? Get a
 bottle (preferably glass), remove the label with warm water,
 and fill it with different coloured water, coffee (with or
 without milk), or any other liquid you want.
 With a bit of glue and paper, you can make your own labels,
 and there are a stunning variety of shapes and colours of
 bottles if you look hard enough. Antique shops and junk
 shops often have old bottles.
 You can even have PCs drink the contents when they quaff
 that unknown potion, but make sure it's safe to do so...if
 you use dishwashing liquid, make sure everyone knows! Also,
 your thirsty player will not appreciate it if the bottle
 they just drank had milk in it, and it was filled three
 sessions ago. (The look on their face is priceless, but it's
 not good for their health). (From: Gareth)


 9) Need some treasure? Go through all those junk mail
 catalogs and antique auction brochures. Cut out the
 interesting pictures of "antique" items, jewelry, fancy
 rugs, furniture, and art. Use them as treasure for your
 party. When they rake in a big haul, or find something
 unusual, you can show them this picture, or simply hand it
 out and let them try to guess what the item is worth or what
 it is. (From: Chris Tutty)


 10) As I am going through old travel magazines or National
 Geographic, I often see pictures of places and I try to
 think where that would be in my campaign world. So why not
 cut out those pictures and put them in a file for use when
 the PCs are in that area? (From: Chris Tutty)




Game Ideas

Henchmen

A humorous game centered around "evil" henchmen. The low guys on the totem pole. The rank and file goblins of an evil fantasy army, your basic COBRA soldier, the henchmen from the Venture Brothers, the Extacles from Frisky Dingo. (Yeah, yeah, the Extacles aren't technically evil, but you get my drift.)
Centered around grumbling about bad pay, bad insurance, and bad training. Oh, yeah, and going on what are essentially suicide missions devised by inept leaders.