Juzer
2014-01-30, 01:07 PM
...hi, players:
I discussed with other players and DM's about "experience's enhancements": general little things and props used by the DM to surprise the players and let them feel more game's depth, disregard of the actual played RPG
I'm therefore curious about other DM's original ideas: how many of you try to get something different than descriptions, dices, images and maybe a sketched battlemap with miniatures?
here mine first 3, more later:
- 3D battlemaps, using conventional printed battlemap bent two times between pages to get a flat bottom area, a cliff and an upper area;
using a common 16x24 squares combat map you usually get 6 sheets, right? 2 for bottom, the central 2 for a 8-squares high cliff and the last 2 ones for the top area
using a map like this the players get a sense of depth, height and danger if they have to clim up or down during the combat: I also used boxes with dungeon tiles on it to form columns, edges and middle-high groud, with also suspended bridges between them
- sing&perform;
I'll put this together because I find them pretty similar§: it's about let sometimes the players actually DO something, opposed to a common skill check;
one time the PGs were exploring an bard's hideout, and to open a door they had to sing the proper tune, so I printed an appropriate musical score, let them found it in-game and actually sing it;
another time they joined a local fair in a small town and saw performers acting on the stage: one asked me what were they playing: I gave them each the printed first 2 page of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and let them act it
the PGs were spectators but the players played the actors: the PGs judged the performance awful and refused to give any money for it!
- the prop trap:
that's my favorite, because it's not so uncommon to give the players a real pieces of papers if they find an important map, scroll or book, so I found it pretty interesting when the printed stuff is yes important but dangerous for the PGs
it happened once: a clearly charmed friendly NPC (I portrayed it as explicit spellbound) wanted to give them a letter from unknown sender (there was also a danger's hint because in the recipients where was also a recently dead PG)
thing is, the message were Explosive Runes (clever enemy's attempt to get rid of the party) and even if they understood there was more than something wrong, the actual real folded letter deceived it: they meta-gamed "if it's printed, it's meaningful" and they blown up themselves
I discussed with other players and DM's about "experience's enhancements": general little things and props used by the DM to surprise the players and let them feel more game's depth, disregard of the actual played RPG
I'm therefore curious about other DM's original ideas: how many of you try to get something different than descriptions, dices, images and maybe a sketched battlemap with miniatures?
here mine first 3, more later:
- 3D battlemaps, using conventional printed battlemap bent two times between pages to get a flat bottom area, a cliff and an upper area;
using a common 16x24 squares combat map you usually get 6 sheets, right? 2 for bottom, the central 2 for a 8-squares high cliff and the last 2 ones for the top area
using a map like this the players get a sense of depth, height and danger if they have to clim up or down during the combat: I also used boxes with dungeon tiles on it to form columns, edges and middle-high groud, with also suspended bridges between them
- sing&perform;
I'll put this together because I find them pretty similar§: it's about let sometimes the players actually DO something, opposed to a common skill check;
one time the PGs were exploring an bard's hideout, and to open a door they had to sing the proper tune, so I printed an appropriate musical score, let them found it in-game and actually sing it;
another time they joined a local fair in a small town and saw performers acting on the stage: one asked me what were they playing: I gave them each the printed first 2 page of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and let them act it
the PGs were spectators but the players played the actors: the PGs judged the performance awful and refused to give any money for it!
- the prop trap:
that's my favorite, because it's not so uncommon to give the players a real pieces of papers if they find an important map, scroll or book, so I found it pretty interesting when the printed stuff is yes important but dangerous for the PGs
it happened once: a clearly charmed friendly NPC (I portrayed it as explicit spellbound) wanted to give them a letter from unknown sender (there was also a danger's hint because in the recipients where was also a recently dead PG)
thing is, the message were Explosive Runes (clever enemy's attempt to get rid of the party) and even if they understood there was more than something wrong, the actual real folded letter deceived it: they meta-gamed "if it's printed, it's meaningful" and they blown up themselves