Or I should have turned left.
One thing that always inspires me when coming up with adventures, and more specifically locations, is travel. International travel is always more inspiring than local travel, but both work well. It's the visit to a new location. Absorbing a new, or at least slightly different. Seeing new sights and hearing new sounds.
So at the moment I find myself in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the United States (anyone guess that from the hints?) It's early November and during the day it's too hot for me, not to mention dry. Hey, I currently live in Canada where it was pretty much freezing point when I left only to be thrown into what I would describe as mid summer. I'm here attending the AYE Conference as part of my day job, but that's not of much interest to you (though some of the topics could be applied to role playing very nicely.)
So what do I learn while travelling? Well I have a new image in my mind of a couple of hotel styles and layouts that can be of use in any game from the 1920s onward. I now see the expanse of the desert in this region of New Mexico, at least from a distance. I love travelling to new airports as they are always useful for modern games.
I get to see the local architecture that I can use to build up a local flavour. The feel of the streets, the look of the people, and the names and types of local businesses all serve to increase my repertoire of descriptions for my games that you just can't get from a guidebook. Even if I never set a game in Albuquerque the experiences here can help in the creation of any town or city in the southwest United States, something I would have had greater difficulty with before my trip here.
It's a shame I don't have a car, or the time to really explore. Driving along route 66 would have been a nice trip. Going to Santa Fe would have added a huge amount to my box of GM tools. Getting into the desert rather than just seeing it from an airplane window would have been invaluable to me for almost any game, but especially useful since I've been on a bit of an Old West reading kick lately.
So get out there and travel. If you can't travel internationally then just go to some towns near you that you've never been to. Never been to a forest, then find one and go. Every trip should be used as a means of improving your descriptive arsenal as you never know when it will come in useful.
Showing posts with label Creative Inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creative Inspiration. Show all posts
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Creative Inspiration: Music 2
So again it comes time to come up with an adventure for the game in a few days. The well has run dry and the mind is running on empty. Break out your music collection and hit the random button. Here are a few more ideas.
Game: Aces and Eights
Song: My Journey to the Sky by Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Well a lot of people did go to the west to bring the light of the lord to the savages, so I guess a religious themed song for a western game isn't bad inspiration (though how I ended up with it in my collection I'm not entirely sure. Have to look into that one.)
Father Brown has left the confines of civilization after the passing of his parents due to cholera. He has nothing in the east, so he heads west. He hopes to find a small town near some of the natives and bring enlightenment to them and to the townsfolk. Finding the town of Walson's Creek he sets up a small church, and manages to gather a few people into his congregation, but unfortunately he isn't welcomed by all. A gang has taken a dislike to him and his godly ways, and are trying to drive him out of town. It escalates from making him dive out of the way of their horses into the mud to attempts to burn down his half completed church while he sleeps in a back room. Father Brown is at his wits end, and the PCs feel sorry for him and attempt to assist him. The good father refuses to let anyone help him, believing god will bring them to their senses, but the players know he'll end up dead before that happens.
Game: Serenity
Song: Forgive and Forget by Blondie
While on planetfall on one of the outer planets, Kolstein the headman of a small city the players have ended up in has taken a shine to one of the female members of the party. He's rich. He's powerful. He's a complete pig, but is used to getting what he wants. He harasses the crew and wants to buy her to add her to his harem. Obviously the crew say no, but this man isn't taking no for an answer. Force is displayed as the players try to get to their ship. When the players leave the planet little do they know they have a stowaway on board, one of Kolstein's lieutenants. This stowaway has instructions to sabotage the ship, dispose of the crew and ensure the safety of the object of Kolstein's affections. And Kolstein himself is only an hour or so behind the players ship in another ship he has acquired. Looks like it's until death do us part.
This would obviously work well with a gender reversal, or same gender affection dependant on the make up of the players party and your groups playing style.
So there you go, two more five minute plot outlines courtesy of the shuffle button. Obviously your music library will be different than mine (you may know exactly where that Sister Rosetta Tharpe song came from) so the inspiration will be different, but the principle is the same. Spin the disk and banish that writers block.
Hmm, I think I'll actually use that Forgive and Forget one next time I run a sci-fi game. Or western.
Game: Aces and Eights
Song: My Journey to the Sky by Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Well a lot of people did go to the west to bring the light of the lord to the savages, so I guess a religious themed song for a western game isn't bad inspiration (though how I ended up with it in my collection I'm not entirely sure. Have to look into that one.)
Father Brown has left the confines of civilization after the passing of his parents due to cholera. He has nothing in the east, so he heads west. He hopes to find a small town near some of the natives and bring enlightenment to them and to the townsfolk. Finding the town of Walson's Creek he sets up a small church, and manages to gather a few people into his congregation, but unfortunately he isn't welcomed by all. A gang has taken a dislike to him and his godly ways, and are trying to drive him out of town. It escalates from making him dive out of the way of their horses into the mud to attempts to burn down his half completed church while he sleeps in a back room. Father Brown is at his wits end, and the PCs feel sorry for him and attempt to assist him. The good father refuses to let anyone help him, believing god will bring them to their senses, but the players know he'll end up dead before that happens.
Game: Serenity
Song: Forgive and Forget by Blondie
While on planetfall on one of the outer planets, Kolstein the headman of a small city the players have ended up in has taken a shine to one of the female members of the party. He's rich. He's powerful. He's a complete pig, but is used to getting what he wants. He harasses the crew and wants to buy her to add her to his harem. Obviously the crew say no, but this man isn't taking no for an answer. Force is displayed as the players try to get to their ship. When the players leave the planet little do they know they have a stowaway on board, one of Kolstein's lieutenants. This stowaway has instructions to sabotage the ship, dispose of the crew and ensure the safety of the object of Kolstein's affections. And Kolstein himself is only an hour or so behind the players ship in another ship he has acquired. Looks like it's until death do us part.
This would obviously work well with a gender reversal, or same gender affection dependant on the make up of the players party and your groups playing style.
So there you go, two more five minute plot outlines courtesy of the shuffle button. Obviously your music library will be different than mine (you may know exactly where that Sister Rosetta Tharpe song came from) so the inspiration will be different, but the principle is the same. Spin the disk and banish that writers block.
Hmm, I think I'll actually use that Forgive and Forget one next time I run a sci-fi game. Or western.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Using the 36 Dramatic Situations
A couple of days ago I posted the list of the 36 dramatic situations, but what I didn't do was show any examples of them in use. I thought today I'd just walk through a couple of examples with a few game systems on the inspiration that the results would give me.
Game: Babylon 5
Roll 1 - 5: Pursuit
The fugitive doesn't have to be fleeing a misunderstood conflict here, but it's an option.
Scenario A: A rogue telepath has come to Babylon 5 in search of the underground railroad that can smuggle him away from the every watching eyes of the Psi-Corp. Of course, where there are telepaths involved the Psi Cops won't be far behind and are willing to turn the entire station upside down and everyone's lives to recover the telepath or stop them. The characters are hired to help the pursued, or are command staff on the station caught up in the entire drama. Optional extra: the telepath accidentally scanned someone and knows some dark secret that could bring down governments/expose dirty secrets/provide an unfair advantage to one of any number of corporations (maybe InterPlanetary eXpeditions is after them as well.)
Scenario B: It is the characters being pursued rather than getting caught up in a pursuit. On a previous mission they killed a Narn in the course of their actions. Now the Narn's brother has declared a Blood Oath against them and will not stop until the characters are dead. He hasn't found them yet, but they hear someone is looking for them and has a bad attitude.
Game: Aces and Eights (or any western RPG)
Roll 4 - 5: Necessity of Sacrificing Loved Ones
Scenario: The players are sheriffs or deputies of a small town when they hear about a local land baron forming a grudge against the owner of the local hotel. The grudge is not justified and the baron is obviously in the wrong. Things escalate to the point where the barons men are sent to town on the instruction to kill the hotel owner, however in order to keep the players out of the way they have first kidnapped the wife or child of one of the characters. Now they need to decide what they're willing to sacrifice for law and order, their family or the law.
Game: Star Trek
Roll 2-5: Abduction
Scenario: A member of the crew has been abducted from the ship by a newly encountered alien race that a treaty for a valuable resource (dilithium?) has just been signed with. It turns out that this is a normal part of their culture after a treaty, to take a hostage from each side to help secure the treaty and they fully expect the Federation representatives to randomly take one of their people involved as well. It is up to the players to resolve the situation without breaking the treaty.
Game: Babylon 5
Roll 1 - 5: Pursuit
The fugitive doesn't have to be fleeing a misunderstood conflict here, but it's an option.
Scenario A: A rogue telepath has come to Babylon 5 in search of the underground railroad that can smuggle him away from the every watching eyes of the Psi-Corp. Of course, where there are telepaths involved the Psi Cops won't be far behind and are willing to turn the entire station upside down and everyone's lives to recover the telepath or stop them. The characters are hired to help the pursued, or are command staff on the station caught up in the entire drama. Optional extra: the telepath accidentally scanned someone and knows some dark secret that could bring down governments/expose dirty secrets/provide an unfair advantage to one of any number of corporations (maybe InterPlanetary eXpeditions is after them as well.)
Scenario B: It is the characters being pursued rather than getting caught up in a pursuit. On a previous mission they killed a Narn in the course of their actions. Now the Narn's brother has declared a Blood Oath against them and will not stop until the characters are dead. He hasn't found them yet, but they hear someone is looking for them and has a bad attitude.
Game: Aces and Eights (or any western RPG)
Roll 4 - 5: Necessity of Sacrificing Loved Ones
Scenario: The players are sheriffs or deputies of a small town when they hear about a local land baron forming a grudge against the owner of the local hotel. The grudge is not justified and the baron is obviously in the wrong. Things escalate to the point where the barons men are sent to town on the instruction to kill the hotel owner, however in order to keep the players out of the way they have first kidnapped the wife or child of one of the characters. Now they need to decide what they're willing to sacrifice for law and order, their family or the law.
Game: Star Trek
Roll 2-5: Abduction
Scenario: A member of the crew has been abducted from the ship by a newly encountered alien race that a treaty for a valuable resource (dilithium?) has just been signed with. It turns out that this is a normal part of their culture after a treaty, to take a hostage from each side to help secure the treaty and they fully expect the Federation representatives to randomly take one of their people involved as well. It is up to the players to resolve the situation without breaking the treaty.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Creative Inspiration: The 36 Dramatic Situations
Way back in 1895, French writer Georges Polti postulated that in drama there was only 36 possible situations, and every storyline stems from one of these situations. The accuracy of this statement has been debated back and forth by better men than you or I (well at least than I) over the years but it still remains an interesting piece of work. These 36 situations have been utilised over the years by students and critics categorising works (film, books, plays etc) and by writers looking for some inspiration. It is firmly in the second category that role-players and more specifically GMs come into the picture.
We've all been there at one time or another during our GMing careers (not that we make money from it, but it may as well be a second job at times, albeit a volunteer one.) You have a game coming up in a couple of days but you're fresh out of ideas. One tool in your arsenal is indeed these 36 dramatic situations. 36 is a nice number for gamers, and I'm sure many of you have already considered "hey I could just roll 2D6 to pick a situation and get my inspiration," and that is exactly the suggestion. Roll 2D6, the first one picking the table, and the second one the specific situation.
So without further ado, the 36 dramatic situations. (note that the text shown below has come from Wikipedia.) They are in the format of the title, the required persons or elements, and then a description of the situation. Just pick your game, roll and think how that could apply in your current campaign.
1-1 Supplication
a Persecutor; a Suppliant; a Power in authority, whose decision is doubtful.
The Persecutor accuses the Suppliant of wrongdoing, and the Power makes a judgment against the Suppliant.
1-2 Deliverance
an Unfortunate; a Threatener; a Rescuer
The Unfortunate has caused a conflict, and the Threatener is to carry out justice, but the Rescuer saves the Unfortunate.
1-3 Crime pursued by vengeance
a Criminal; an Avenger
The Criminal commits a crime that will not see justice, so the Avenger seeks justice by punishing the Criminal.
1-4 Vengeance taken for kin upon kin
Guilty Kinsman; an Avenging Kinsman; remembrance of the Victim, a relative of both
Two entities, the Guilty and the Avenging Kinsmen, are put into conflict over wrongdoing to the Victim, who is allied to both.
1-5 Pursuit
Punishment; a Fugitive
The Fugitive flees Punishment for a misunderstood conflict.
1-6 Disaster
a Vanquished Power; a Victorious Enemy or a Messenger
The Power falls from their place after being defeated by the Victorious Enemy or being informed of such a defeat by the Messenger.
2-1 Falling prey to cruelty/misfortune
an Unfortunate; a Master or a Misfortune
The Unfortunate suffers from Misfortune and/or at the hands of the Master.
2-2 Revolt
a Tyrant; a Conspirator
The Tyrant, a cruel power, is plotted against by the Conspirator.
2-3 Daring enterprise
a Bold Leader; an Object; an Adversary
The Bold Leader takes the Object from the Adversary by overpowering the Adversary.
2-4 Abduction
an Abductor; the Abducted; a Guardian
The Abductor takes the Abducted from the Guardian.
2-5 The enigma
a Problem; an Interrogator; a Seeker
The Interrogator poses a Problem to the Seeker and gives a Seeker better ability to reach the Seeker's goals.
2-6 Obtaining
(a Solicitor & an Adversary who is refusing) or (an Arbitrator & Opposing Parties)
The Solicitor is at odds with the Adversary who refuses to give the Solicitor what they Object in the possession of the Adversary, or an Arbitrator decides who gets the Object desired by Opposing Parties (the Solicitor and the Adversary).
3-1 Enmity of kin
a Malevolent Kinsman; a Hated or a reciprocally-hating Kinsman
The Malevolent Kinsman and the Hated or a second Malevolent Kinsman conspire together.
3-2 Rivalry of kin
the Preferred Kinsman; the Rejected Kinsman; the Object of Rivalry
The Object of Rivalry chooses the Preferred Kinsman over the Rejected Kinsman.
3-3 Murderous adultery
two Adulterers; a Betrayed Spouse
Two Adulterers conspire to kill the Betrayed Spouse.
3-4 Madness
a Madman; a Victim
The Madman goes insane and wrongs the Victim.
3-5 Fatal imprudence
the Imprudent; a Victim or an Object Lost
The Imprudent, by neglect or ignorance, loses the Object Lost or wrongs the Victim.
3-6 Involuntary crimes of love
a Lover; a Beloved; a Revealer
The Revealer betrays the trust of either the Lover or the Beloved.
4-1 Slaying of kin unrecognized
the Slayer; an Unrecognized Victim
The Slayer kills the Unrecognized Victim.
4-2 Self-sacrifice for an ideal
a Hero; an Ideal; a Creditor or a Person/Thing sacrificed
The Hero sacrifices the Person or Thing for their Ideal, which is then taken by the Creditor.
4-3 Self-sacrifice for kin
a Hero; a Kinsman; a Creditor or a Person/Thing sacrificed
The Hero sacrifices a Person or Thing for their Kinsman, which is then taken by the Creditor.
4-4 All sacrificed for passion
a Lover; an Object of fatal Passion; the Person/Thing sacrificed
A Lover sacrifices a Person or Thing for the Object of their Passion, which is then lost forever.
4-5 Necessity of sacrificing loved ones
a Hero; a Beloved Victim; the Necessity for the Sacrifice
The Hero wrongs the Beloved Victim because of the Necessity for their Sacrifice.
4-6 Rivalry of superior vs. inferior
a Superior Rival; an Inferior Rival; the Object of Rivalry
A Superior Rival bests an Inferior Rival and wins the Object of Rivalry.
5-1 Adultery
two Adulterers; a Deceived Spouse
Two Adulterers conspire against the Deceived Spouse.
5-2 Crimes of love
a Lover; the Beloved
A Lover and the Beloved enter a conflict.
5-3 Discovery of the dishonour of a loved one
a Discoverer; the Guilty One
The Discoverer discovers the wrongdoing committed by the Guilty One.
5-4 Obstacles to love
two Lovers; an Obstacle
Two Lovers face an Obstacle together.
5-5 An enemy loved
a Lover; the Beloved Enemy; the Hater
The allied Lover and Hater have diametrically opposed attitudes towards the Beloved Enemy.
5-6 Ambition
an Ambitious Person; a Thing Coveted; an Adversary
The Ambitious Person seeks the Thing Coveted and is opposed by the Adversary.
6-1 Conflict with a god
a Mortal; an Immortal
The Mortal and the Immortal enter a conflict.
6-2 Mistaken jealousy
a Jealous One; an Object of whose Possession He is Jealous; a Supposed Accomplice; a Cause or an Author of the Mistake
The Jealous One falls victim to the Cause or the Author of the Mistake and becomes jealous of the Object and becomes conflicted with the Supposed Accomplice.
6-3 Erroneous judgement
a Mistaken One; a Victim of the Mistake; a Cause or Author of the Mistake; the Guilty One
The Mistaken One falls victim to the Cause of the Author of the Mistake and passes judgment against the Victim of the Mistake when it should be passed against the Guilty One instead.
6-4 Remorse
a Culprit; a Victim or the Sin; an Interrogator
The Culprit wrongs the Victim or commits the Sin, and is at odds with the Interrogator who seeks to understand the situation.
6-5 Recovery of a lost one
a Seeker; the One Found
The Seeker finds the One Found.
6-6 Loss of loved ones
a Kinsman Slain; a Kinsman Spectator; an Executioner
The killing of the Kinsman Slain by the Executioner is witnessed by the Kinsman Spectator.
I will revisit these in future posts on how they can be used in specific games, and I welcome comments from people telling us how they made use of the 36 dramatic situations to overcome that creative block in your own games.
We've all been there at one time or another during our GMing careers (not that we make money from it, but it may as well be a second job at times, albeit a volunteer one.) You have a game coming up in a couple of days but you're fresh out of ideas. One tool in your arsenal is indeed these 36 dramatic situations. 36 is a nice number for gamers, and I'm sure many of you have already considered "hey I could just roll 2D6 to pick a situation and get my inspiration," and that is exactly the suggestion. Roll 2D6, the first one picking the table, and the second one the specific situation.
So without further ado, the 36 dramatic situations. (note that the text shown below has come from Wikipedia.) They are in the format of the title, the required persons or elements, and then a description of the situation. Just pick your game, roll and think how that could apply in your current campaign.
1-1 Supplication
a Persecutor; a Suppliant; a Power in authority, whose decision is doubtful.
The Persecutor accuses the Suppliant of wrongdoing, and the Power makes a judgment against the Suppliant.
1-2 Deliverance
an Unfortunate; a Threatener; a Rescuer
The Unfortunate has caused a conflict, and the Threatener is to carry out justice, but the Rescuer saves the Unfortunate.
1-3 Crime pursued by vengeance
a Criminal; an Avenger
The Criminal commits a crime that will not see justice, so the Avenger seeks justice by punishing the Criminal.
1-4 Vengeance taken for kin upon kin
Guilty Kinsman; an Avenging Kinsman; remembrance of the Victim, a relative of both
Two entities, the Guilty and the Avenging Kinsmen, are put into conflict over wrongdoing to the Victim, who is allied to both.
1-5 Pursuit
Punishment; a Fugitive
The Fugitive flees Punishment for a misunderstood conflict.
1-6 Disaster
a Vanquished Power; a Victorious Enemy or a Messenger
The Power falls from their place after being defeated by the Victorious Enemy or being informed of such a defeat by the Messenger.
2-1 Falling prey to cruelty/misfortune
an Unfortunate; a Master or a Misfortune
The Unfortunate suffers from Misfortune and/or at the hands of the Master.
2-2 Revolt
a Tyrant; a Conspirator
The Tyrant, a cruel power, is plotted against by the Conspirator.
2-3 Daring enterprise
a Bold Leader; an Object; an Adversary
The Bold Leader takes the Object from the Adversary by overpowering the Adversary.
2-4 Abduction
an Abductor; the Abducted; a Guardian
The Abductor takes the Abducted from the Guardian.
2-5 The enigma
a Problem; an Interrogator; a Seeker
The Interrogator poses a Problem to the Seeker and gives a Seeker better ability to reach the Seeker's goals.
2-6 Obtaining
(a Solicitor & an Adversary who is refusing) or (an Arbitrator & Opposing Parties)
The Solicitor is at odds with the Adversary who refuses to give the Solicitor what they Object in the possession of the Adversary, or an Arbitrator decides who gets the Object desired by Opposing Parties (the Solicitor and the Adversary).
3-1 Enmity of kin
a Malevolent Kinsman; a Hated or a reciprocally-hating Kinsman
The Malevolent Kinsman and the Hated or a second Malevolent Kinsman conspire together.
3-2 Rivalry of kin
the Preferred Kinsman; the Rejected Kinsman; the Object of Rivalry
The Object of Rivalry chooses the Preferred Kinsman over the Rejected Kinsman.
3-3 Murderous adultery
two Adulterers; a Betrayed Spouse
Two Adulterers conspire to kill the Betrayed Spouse.
3-4 Madness
a Madman; a Victim
The Madman goes insane and wrongs the Victim.
3-5 Fatal imprudence
the Imprudent; a Victim or an Object Lost
The Imprudent, by neglect or ignorance, loses the Object Lost or wrongs the Victim.
3-6 Involuntary crimes of love
a Lover; a Beloved; a Revealer
The Revealer betrays the trust of either the Lover or the Beloved.
4-1 Slaying of kin unrecognized
the Slayer; an Unrecognized Victim
The Slayer kills the Unrecognized Victim.
4-2 Self-sacrifice for an ideal
a Hero; an Ideal; a Creditor or a Person/Thing sacrificed
The Hero sacrifices the Person or Thing for their Ideal, which is then taken by the Creditor.
4-3 Self-sacrifice for kin
a Hero; a Kinsman; a Creditor or a Person/Thing sacrificed
The Hero sacrifices a Person or Thing for their Kinsman, which is then taken by the Creditor.
4-4 All sacrificed for passion
a Lover; an Object of fatal Passion; the Person/Thing sacrificed
A Lover sacrifices a Person or Thing for the Object of their Passion, which is then lost forever.
4-5 Necessity of sacrificing loved ones
a Hero; a Beloved Victim; the Necessity for the Sacrifice
The Hero wrongs the Beloved Victim because of the Necessity for their Sacrifice.
4-6 Rivalry of superior vs. inferior
a Superior Rival; an Inferior Rival; the Object of Rivalry
A Superior Rival bests an Inferior Rival and wins the Object of Rivalry.
5-1 Adultery
two Adulterers; a Deceived Spouse
Two Adulterers conspire against the Deceived Spouse.
5-2 Crimes of love
a Lover; the Beloved
A Lover and the Beloved enter a conflict.
5-3 Discovery of the dishonour of a loved one
a Discoverer; the Guilty One
The Discoverer discovers the wrongdoing committed by the Guilty One.
5-4 Obstacles to love
two Lovers; an Obstacle
Two Lovers face an Obstacle together.
5-5 An enemy loved
a Lover; the Beloved Enemy; the Hater
The allied Lover and Hater have diametrically opposed attitudes towards the Beloved Enemy.
5-6 Ambition
an Ambitious Person; a Thing Coveted; an Adversary
The Ambitious Person seeks the Thing Coveted and is opposed by the Adversary.
6-1 Conflict with a god
a Mortal; an Immortal
The Mortal and the Immortal enter a conflict.
6-2 Mistaken jealousy
a Jealous One; an Object of whose Possession He is Jealous; a Supposed Accomplice; a Cause or an Author of the Mistake
The Jealous One falls victim to the Cause or the Author of the Mistake and becomes jealous of the Object and becomes conflicted with the Supposed Accomplice.
6-3 Erroneous judgement
a Mistaken One; a Victim of the Mistake; a Cause or Author of the Mistake; the Guilty One
The Mistaken One falls victim to the Cause of the Author of the Mistake and passes judgment against the Victim of the Mistake when it should be passed against the Guilty One instead.
6-4 Remorse
a Culprit; a Victim or the Sin; an Interrogator
The Culprit wrongs the Victim or commits the Sin, and is at odds with the Interrogator who seeks to understand the situation.
6-5 Recovery of a lost one
a Seeker; the One Found
The Seeker finds the One Found.
6-6 Loss of loved ones
a Kinsman Slain; a Kinsman Spectator; an Executioner
The killing of the Kinsman Slain by the Executioner is witnessed by the Kinsman Spectator.
I will revisit these in future posts on how they can be used in specific games, and I welcome comments from people telling us how they made use of the 36 dramatic situations to overcome that creative block in your own games.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Creative Inspiration: Music
As a GM it can be difficult sometimes to get that spark of inspiration needed to get going with a story. Often, at least in my case, you just need that one little spark to light the way through your mind towards the final outcome. As we know inspiration can come from almost anywhere, and I frequently use different forms almost at random in order to come up with a story.
One tactic I've used a couple of times is music. It's amazing how many songs can conjure the adventure concepts when considered in conjunction with the game you're planning on running. When I do it I simply fire up iTunes pointed over my entire music collection and hit the shuffle button. Then listen.
Here are a couple of examples, generated just now for the blog. A game is picked simply by looking at my shelves, and then the shuffle button is clicked.
Game: Shadowrun
Song: Heir of a Dying Day by Lacuna Coil
Okay not many lyrics to this one, but the first thing that comes to my mind here is some kind of cult or gang. Probably based around a charismatic leader. The lyrics evoke images of dragons or drakes or possibly a powerful illusionist mage. Lets go with a dragon, cause everyone loves dragons. It's a minor dragon, not a player in the world of dragon politics, doesn't own anything, not powerful, just an average Joe dragon. Of course an average Joe dragon is very powerful compared to metahumanity so he can still achieve things. As a result this dragon is gathering followers in the Redmond Barrens. The destitute and downtrodden are flocking to him, drunk on the possibilities that are inherent when your patron is a dragon. The dragon intends to try using his followers to establish a large presence, clear out some gangs and take control of the barrens for himself. To what end? Why do bodies keep turning up? Why are there droves of practically brainwashed down and outs going around with a sense of purpose? PCs contacts are going quiet, the wyrm is definitely up to something big, and once they find out it's a dragon it's definitely something serious.
Game: Delta Green
Song: My Last Breath by Evanescence
Straight off I can tell this is really Delta Green material. While I'm not taking the entire lyric set, there's imagery of people knowing it's their last night on earth, and gladly embracing someone. While he's much used, the great disgusting naked one Y'golonac leaps immediately into my head (what does that tell you about the contents of my head?) A rash of people getting their hands on some material that once read establishes a mental connection with Y'golonac. Within a few days of exposure the victim is overcome by feelings of love for the great old one and a means of meeting with him is provided. The victim then willingly goes to a warehouse in a run down area of town and walks into the embrace of his physical manifestation. Investigation can turn up that the material is a blog created by a Joseph Cartwright who came across a Contact Y'golonac spell while searching for greater ways to satisfy his sexual depravities. Once he read the spell, it crept into his mind set about establishing his body as a host for Y'golonac in this world. Over the course of a week he changed into the typical embodiment of the old one. During this time he continued to blog about his sexual appetites and desire, with elements of the spell embedded into the text. Those who read it become connected and eventually succumb to the desire to be wrapped in the old one's embrace for one last moment of pure ecstasy. Thankfully his blog is not very popular, but that just means it's harder to track down. A-Cell is worried and the players have a night at the opera planned for them.
So that's just two examples of how music can drive a plot inspiration. And yes, they were really the first two songs picked and random games off my shelves. Practice makes perfect. Not every song will give you something, and not every idea that you do get can evolve itself into a full fledged adventure, but hopefully it's just enough to get the creative juices flowing.
One tactic I've used a couple of times is music. It's amazing how many songs can conjure the adventure concepts when considered in conjunction with the game you're planning on running. When I do it I simply fire up iTunes pointed over my entire music collection and hit the shuffle button. Then listen.
Here are a couple of examples, generated just now for the blog. A game is picked simply by looking at my shelves, and then the shuffle button is clicked.
Game: Shadowrun
Song: Heir of a Dying Day by Lacuna Coil
Okay not many lyrics to this one, but the first thing that comes to my mind here is some kind of cult or gang. Probably based around a charismatic leader. The lyrics evoke images of dragons or drakes or possibly a powerful illusionist mage. Lets go with a dragon, cause everyone loves dragons. It's a minor dragon, not a player in the world of dragon politics, doesn't own anything, not powerful, just an average Joe dragon. Of course an average Joe dragon is very powerful compared to metahumanity so he can still achieve things. As a result this dragon is gathering followers in the Redmond Barrens. The destitute and downtrodden are flocking to him, drunk on the possibilities that are inherent when your patron is a dragon. The dragon intends to try using his followers to establish a large presence, clear out some gangs and take control of the barrens for himself. To what end? Why do bodies keep turning up? Why are there droves of practically brainwashed down and outs going around with a sense of purpose? PCs contacts are going quiet, the wyrm is definitely up to something big, and once they find out it's a dragon it's definitely something serious.
Game: Delta Green
Song: My Last Breath by Evanescence
Straight off I can tell this is really Delta Green material. While I'm not taking the entire lyric set, there's imagery of people knowing it's their last night on earth, and gladly embracing someone. While he's much used, the great disgusting naked one Y'golonac leaps immediately into my head (what does that tell you about the contents of my head?) A rash of people getting their hands on some material that once read establishes a mental connection with Y'golonac. Within a few days of exposure the victim is overcome by feelings of love for the great old one and a means of meeting with him is provided. The victim then willingly goes to a warehouse in a run down area of town and walks into the embrace of his physical manifestation. Investigation can turn up that the material is a blog created by a Joseph Cartwright who came across a Contact Y'golonac spell while searching for greater ways to satisfy his sexual depravities. Once he read the spell, it crept into his mind set about establishing his body as a host for Y'golonac in this world. Over the course of a week he changed into the typical embodiment of the old one. During this time he continued to blog about his sexual appetites and desire, with elements of the spell embedded into the text. Those who read it become connected and eventually succumb to the desire to be wrapped in the old one's embrace for one last moment of pure ecstasy. Thankfully his blog is not very popular, but that just means it's harder to track down. A-Cell is worried and the players have a night at the opera planned for them.
So that's just two examples of how music can drive a plot inspiration. And yes, they were really the first two songs picked and random games off my shelves. Practice makes perfect. Not every song will give you something, and not every idea that you do get can evolve itself into a full fledged adventure, but hopefully it's just enough to get the creative juices flowing.
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