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The Evil DM
2015-04-12, 10:00 PM
So,

What is the most interesting - or cool - thing you have done as a DM to promote game immersion?

Such as, Using a soundboard of sound effects a physical toy puzzle to represent an in game puzzle.

I will go first.

A game session was to begin with a feast celebrating recent victories. In my games I have cultures that are highly defined, down to common local foods and even cooking techniques.

In preparation for this feast I used all ingredients available within the game culture and prepared a real feast as a surprise.

Ox tail and Mushroom stew, Roasted Pork Loin and Lamb Ribs. The feast was in the late fall of the campaign so we had a selection of winter root vegetables like turnips, parsnips and winter squashes. All seasonings were limited to local availability within the campaign area.

I let one player in on the surprise who was a homebrewer and he brought homemade honey mead and ales.

As the players arrived the whole house was filled with the smells of the foods and then as we role played the feast the players could actually eat something that could be made by the feast masters in the campaign area.

That was probably the most interesting for us and the players spent four hours in character sitting around the feast table planning their next adventures complete immersed in the moment.

TheCountAlucard
2015-04-12, 10:37 PM
Can't say I ever did anything that cool - ran a game session once where a player character was assaulted by a ghost in his dreams, though, and decided to surprise him a little by not telling him it was a dream at first; I secretly communicated to the other players that they were to play the part of their characters in his dream, save that they were to portray themselves as he saw them.

If I think of anything else I'll share it.

kyoryu
2015-04-12, 10:51 PM
Mostly, I try to "nail the nominals": http://blogs.msdn.com/b/eric_brechner/archive/2008/09/01/nailing-the-nominals.aspx

Set the scene well - describe the situation, make it a real place.

Have players describe what they're doing in terms of the world they're in, not the game mechanics they're using. Make sure that I absolutely do the same.

anoblewolf
2015-04-12, 11:07 PM
I myself am currently beta testing a fallout game of my own design and I like to record news clips in the style of three dog from fallout three between sessions and play them during the fallowing session. along with 30s and 40s music.

Sir Chuckles
2015-04-12, 11:15 PM
This could double as a worst DM post:

I throw snack sized bags of chips at my players when they get hit in game. It keeps everyone from hogging chips, a common problem in my group, and the loud smack keeps anyone who happens to be distracted between turns in tune.

As a side note, I was a softball pitcher for six years.

Edit:
In the interest of making myself seem less awful, I do constantly use simple mood music at a very low volume. Nothing particularly telling, but usually just piano works to with the right tempo and octave to get that nagging feeling in their heads.

SiuiS
2015-04-13, 01:29 AM
I haven't done it yet, but I want to use sound and psychology to work over my players. I want to put a numbered, wireless speaker system in the headboard of each chair at the table, under the table, and in the corners of the room. I want a library of ambience and (for specific moments) I want a bunch of customized sound files. And I will alter their volume and direction based on seat position.

This should create a realistic feel of space, as everyone is hearing the ambient sounds of a forest or bustling market. It should also bring dungeons to life as the creak of leather, the fall of boots, the flickering of torches and the steady, echoing drop of water in the unknowable distance quietly fill the room.

And I want to be able to have players affected by mental effects hear whispers in slow, alternating susurrus so they actually feel a little crazy :smalltongue:


Can't say I ever did anything that cool - ran a game session once where a player character was assaulted by a ghost in his dreams, though, and decided to surprise him a little by not telling him it was a dream at first; I secretly communicated to the other players that they were to play the part of their characters in his dream, save that they were to portray themselves as he saw them.

If I think of anything else I'll share it.

I have done that! It did not go very well for me. My players went over the top – they tipped him off by Roleplaying more during the dream than during the normal game >_>


Mostly, I try to "nail the nominals": http://blogs.msdn.com/b/eric_brechner/archive/2008/09/01/nailing-the-nominals.aspx

Set the scene well - describe the situation, make it a real place.

Have players describe what they're doing in terms of the world they're in, not the game mechanics they're using. Make sure that I absolutely do the same.

Neat, gonna read that.

Kane0
2015-04-13, 03:07 AM
I like to play music and whatnot while at the game table, some good ambient music can really set a mood well.

But the most interesting? One time the party looted a vial of unknown liquid and were trying to figure out what it was and what to do with it. After a bit one of the players got a little impatient (IC and OOC) and said "I drink it what happens?".

I pulled out of my bag and put onto the table a small bottle, shaped like a skull. You might have seen them at liquor stores holding vodka or at 2-dollar stores. This one had a mix of a couple cordials with a tiny bit of water in it so it was blue-purple and quite strong in addition to being room temperature from sitting in my bag. That player just smiled as I passed it to him, he knew what he had to do.

The effects of the potion werent that special, but the reaction at the game table because of that prop was.

And there was also that time my character was trying to decipher a coded journal and my DM gave me a couple sheets of paper written in wingdings. That was fun and by the time i was finished i could pretty much translate that font without help.

goto124
2015-04-13, 03:09 AM
Have players describe what they're doing in terms of the world they're in, not the game mechanics they're using. Make sure that I absolutely do the same.

I did this before. Everyone switched words and numbers around with made-up 'in-universe' ones. It did not improve immersion- merely felt forced.

'I have 5 Ranks in TWF, so-'
'Ahem!'
'Er, I mean... I'm er... very good?... in... using two weapons at once.'
'You're only 'good' at it.'
'Oh okay, just good. Now how do we calculate the damage I dealt to that troll...'

Part of the reason I'm an anti-antimetagamer.

DigoDragon
2015-04-13, 08:00 AM
I had a soundboard when I ran many of my games. Nothing like the sound of rain to help get the immersion of being in a rainstorm down just right. Especially when the players were inside exploring a dark empty building and it's thundering outside. :smallbiggrin:

Pictures of NPCs can help with certain groups. Even of you aren't artistic to draw your own, you can just Google image them. Putting a face to an NPC helps the players recall them a little better. Also useful to have it out when the NPC is speaking with the players so they know who they are talking to.

Seto
2015-04-13, 08:17 AM
Hm, I'm listing two things. Both were last session and related to our Bard.
- She came across a poem scribbled on a wall in a dungeon (it was mostly for setting an atmosphere - besides, she now has the name of the author, a famous Bard-NPC that they haven't met yet). Sure enough, :elan: : I read it. I then gave her a sheet of paper with the poem I had written for the occasion.

- At the end of the session, they met a grieving young widow and her minstrel. My Bard went to talk with her Bard.
Me : He pulls out his flute and plays a sad, haunting tune. *quickly searches "sad flute music" on Youtube and puts the song on*
:elan: : Oooh, oooh, I have a flute too ! I play along.
Me : You play a different, dark but more hopeful melody. It's as if you are now talking not with words but with music. *clicks on "celtic flute" YouTube suggestion next to the first video and opens it in a new window. Luckily the two tunes harmonized pretty well (which I couldn't have predicted).*

Geddy2112
2015-04-13, 02:20 PM
I was DM'ing a party who came across a Sphinx with a taste for junk food. She invited them in and fed them assorted oreos, chips etc. I brought an obscene amount of cookies, chips and soda and we roleplayed through our normal snack break.

As a player, my current sorcerer is also a professional metal guitarist. I based him on Hizaki, the Guitarist for Versailles/Jupiter. I have a 47 minute collection of his solo's playing in the background for anytime my character plays.

Gopher Wizard
2015-04-13, 02:29 PM
I think the most any DM I've had has done to create immersion is require character portraits. They don't have to be good, just some visual representation of our character. It can even be an image we find online that wasn't made for that campaign.

DeafnotDumb
2015-04-13, 03:03 PM
A small thing from Apocalypse World, but when asking for an action I always use the Player Character's name and not the player's. "Skins, what do you do?" as opposed to "Ben, what do you do?".

Keep it up, and your players will slowly but automatically slip further into character.

kyoryu
2015-04-13, 03:30 PM
I did this before. Everyone switched words and numbers around with made-up 'in-universe' ones. It did not improve immersion- merely felt forced.

'I have 5 Ranks in TWF, so-'
'Ahem!'
'Er, I mean... I'm er... very good?... in... using two weapons at once.'
'You're only 'good' at it.'
'Oh okay, just good. Now how do we calculate the damage I dealt to that troll...'

Part of the reason I'm an anti-antimetagamer.

It's harder in some games.

Also, if you have to describe something in terms of mechanics, just do it succinctly and get on with it. So in your case, you're describing mechanics. Use those to describe it. I would be highly annoyed at a GM that pulled what you're describing.

Calen
2015-04-13, 03:56 PM
One time I had a bounty offered for one of the players. I made a wanted poster with the characters name and a portrait crime etc. Then I aged the paper.
It made a rather nice prop when the party met some bounty hunters.

DigoDragon
2015-04-14, 12:47 PM
A small thing from Apocalypse World, but when asking for an action I always use the Player Character's name and not the player's. "Skins, what do you do?" as opposed to "Ben, what do you do?".

Keep it up, and your players will slowly but automatically slip further into character.

I agree on this tidbit. It's a good habit to refer to players by their character's name to keep them in the zone.

goto124
2015-04-14, 07:05 PM
'What's your Character's name?'
'Sally.'
'That's your real life name.'
'We share the same name.'

:P

Even as someone who places value on NOT getting too deep into versimiltude/realism (as my previous posts on this thread show), I use PC names to refer to PCs, and player names when referring to the players. Aka I change which names I use depending on context.

Then again, I play only PbP.

charcoalninja
2015-04-14, 08:32 PM
While not cool, it certainly was the most effective house rule I ever made.

All I did was grant a simple +1 to hit, +1 spell DC, or a +2 to damage (player's choice, Pathfinder) if the player described their attacks or actions in combat.

Immediately all semblence of "I attack" was forever banished from the annals of our gaming and people were punching with enough intricacy to make Jackie Chan blush.

Absolutely increased everyone's sebse of immersion.

CombatBunny
2015-04-15, 09:38 AM
1) When I start a new campaign I always play the instrumental intro of "Twenty Century Fox", "DreamWorks", "Tristar Pictures" or the like.

Then I start the first scene as you would in any other RPG, but I interrupt now and then to let them now that while this scene is happening, the opening credits are rolling with their names on it. Example:

GM.- You are walking through a foggy forest, What do you do?

PC 1.- I walk slowly as I feel like I’m being watched, so I use spot.

GM.- Ok, but before you do that, we all see the credits displaying on the screen as you walk: Player 1 as the Fighter. Ok, go on and roll.



2) For some particular kind of scenes, I ask the player (or players involved) to stand up and go to a little area on the side of the table and roleplay the scene.

For example, in a scene where the PC’s were having a car chase, I asked a couple of players (one at a time) to stand up and I took his chair and placed it on this little area that I talked about, and asked him to sit down and pretend that he was driving the car in front of us. I (or someone else) would do the rolls required and tell him the outcomes.

Elvenoutrider
2015-04-15, 01:55 PM
Oh boy.... I've made audio hs for a terror on a spaceship game - paid random students a few dollars each to speak a monologue into a microphone - easy sell on a college campus.

I used a tower of sanity system where every session I had a jenga tower up, and players had to take a certain number of blocks from it depending on the results of fear check. They were told horrible things would happen if the tower ever fell.

I've written messages on paper and artificially aged them.

Sound bites can't be specified enough. Once my players were in a fort surrounded by a goblin tribe. I described their war dance while a Native American war song played in the background

I've made visual representations of puzzles...

I miss having an in person group

LibraryOgre
2015-04-15, 01:57 PM
I had a game where the party, fresh out of a dungeon, was being hunted by priests of Malar. Several groups, all eager to win a Blood Hunt by capturing the party.

Any time the party started getting distracted, I'd play a horn sound on my laptop, and the Malarites would show up.

ArcanaFire
2015-04-16, 05:47 AM
I once set up a row of colored and oddly shaped glass bottles and gave my players a Harry Potter-esque logic puzzle to solve. The rogue just picked the one that looked most fun to drink out of.

I've also been known to write letters to the PCs from NPCs and have a table for filler quests that I'm presently trying to make into a real cork board for the job board in taverns. I have one player that always checks and he got tired of rescuing cats from trees.

One time we spent the evening role-playing a night at the tavern and playing three Dragon ante.

DigoDragon
2015-04-16, 07:46 AM
Any time the party started getting distracted, I'd play a horn sound on my laptop, and the Malarites would show up.

That is an effective way of terrifying your players. I was in a d20 modern X-Files campaign and the GM had us go through this little town inspired by Silent Hill. You bet your dice cheeks that whenever the GM played that air raid siren on his MP3 player every player bolted upright in their chair with dice in their hands looking up abilities to defend themselves. :smallbiggrin:

hiryuu
2015-04-16, 01:03 PM
For my post-apoc Ameripunk game I paneled up the game room with sheet metal and pipes and old Coca-Cola ads, got some old radios at the thrift store, took 'em apart, set up the empty ones around the room and put the guts on the table in between the snacks buffet (stuffed squash blossoms, puffed corn, frybread, chili, horchata, molded gelatin desserts, etc.), got some old glass Coca-Cola, Jarritos, and 7-up bottles. Used mashed up bottle caps to help players keep track of mythic points. Made some signs and old maps, spraypainted some of the sheet metal with tribal and family symbols of the PCs, made it look like the bar they hung out in to plan their stuff. Stopped just short of actually installing a couple of booths.

It is my dream to install a couple of booths.

Uglytool
2015-04-16, 01:39 PM
Right now I am running my group through the starter set (Lost MIne of Phandelver), because it is a mix of new and experienced gamers. They rolled their own characters, and I used each character's background to create a mini-quest for each player. That gets them more invested in their characters, which makes for a more fun game.

Once the starter set is over, however, I have a plan. As a hook, I am going to have a dying NPC give a folded note to the group. It will be untranslatable, except by a grizzled old wizard in the middle of nowhere. When they get to the wizard, I am going to play him with candles lit all around me. I'm then going to switch the note with flash paper, light it in a candle, and then, using the fire as a distraction, bring out a leather pouch with a scroll inside, detailing the next stage of the adventure.

Is there a decent soundboard app for android, or is that something I should have my laptop set up for? I've been trying to run the games technology-free for now.

Kavos D.
2015-04-16, 02:08 PM
My favorite part about DMing was and still is making the lore. I've never looked at Adventure Paths, or Modules as anything other than inspiration. That meant I created my own worlds, settings, conflicts, npcs, environments, intrigue, everything. I haven't ran many games, but the Pathfinder game I ran had its own Wikia page that had information on everything in the story, even covering stuff that the players may never run into. Which was probably the worst part about playing in my game, there was just so much stuff going on in the background. I wanted to have a realism level where the world was persistent, and time wouldn't stand still when the players left a place. I would hint to an event in some other town through the drop of dialogue or a flyer, or whatever, and if they decided to ignore it, I'd play out the event anyways for myself to see what would happen if they showed up late. I wouldn't put the event on pause until they came.

Honestly, I'm pretty inexperienced at DMing, I don't really know if that's a fun way of doing things, but it was fun for me.



Another thing I would do, if there was going to be any documents, letters, or contracts the players would receive, I would make them myself. Like this one:
Diary entry from a Supernatural game that never was. (http://i.imgur.com/uo73YWg.jpg)

Realism was my facade for immersion, personifying NPCs, and creating visualizations of things they encountered through the adventures was my attempt at realism.

RandomNPC
2015-04-16, 05:36 PM
My favorite part about DMing was and still is making the lore. I've never looked at Adventure Paths, or Modules as anything other than inspiration. That meant I created my own worlds, settings, conflicts, npcs, environments, intrigue, everything. I haven't ran many games, but the Pathfinder game I ran had its own Wikia page that had information on everything in the story, even covering stuff that the players may never run into. Which was probably the worst part about playing in my game, there was just so much stuff going on in the background. I wanted to have a realism level where the world was persistent, and time wouldn't stand still when the players left a place. I would hint to an event in some other town through the drop of dialogue or a flyer, or whatever, and if they decided to ignore it, I'd play out the event anyways for myself to see what would happen if they showed up late. I wouldn't put the event on pause until they came.

Honestly, I'm pretty inexperienced at DMing, I don't really know if that's a fun way of doing things, but it was fun for me.



Another thing I would do, if there was going to be any documents, letters, or contracts the players would receive, I would make them myself. Like this one:
Diary entry from a Supernatural game that never was. (http://i.imgur.com/uo73YWg.jpg)

Realism was my facade for immersion, personifying NPCs, and creating visualizations of things they encountered through the adventures was my attempt at realism.

Lore is the best part. I've stolen traps from boxed games, plot hooks from tv, npc personalities from people I've met on the streets, but at the end of the day, I make it all roll up into a world, and my players try to live in it. Lore is so much fun, better than any cookie cutter pre-made I've ever had my hands on.