This is dedicated to Glenn Royer over in the Shadowrunner’s Union Facebook group. In the post on creating immersive gaming through using Proper Nouns we discussed why to do it. Here is 10 simple ways to do it.
Start with one organization. It can be a Corp, a criminal group, security provider or gang. Decide which pistol they use, which SMG, which taser/stun baton and their patrol vehicle of choice. Then next run/next month do another. In a year you will have all the major groups for your campaign done.
Do 2-4 ads to beat your players over the head with. You can just do tag lines or graphics if you have skillz. Or copy mine. Then hit them again and again.Try a gun, a car, a clothing line/perfume, a food item, or an event/Trideo. And, as above, do a new set next run/month.
Use a date stamp* method to feed these ads. Mr. Black starts every game with a quick news update. A quick promo is slipped in. This small trick brings a lot to your GM repertoire. Starting every session with the same verbal bit helps to settle your players down, and lets them know the session has started. The promo creates mood and immersion. And the news can create foreshadowing, as can the ad promos. In just a few moments, you set up future arcs, entertain your players and invite them to the table to play, and embed their characters deeper into your world.
Start naming NPC’s on a small scale. Pick a couple and give them names, a single trait and an appropriate dice pool or two. They can be contacts, enemies, or various dramatic personages. Use whatever filling system you prefer. Index cards, Google Docs, whatever program you like, as long as you can share it across platforms. Do 3-4 this month, and another 3-4 next month.
Steal NPC’s, ads, promos, whatever you need and like. TV, film, books, anime, comics, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, whatever. Don’t be afraid or ashamed. You are trying to have a better time with your friends, not write The Great American Novel. You have limited time, so adapt what you need from the best and brightest creators in the world. If Picasso and Mr. Black can do it without a moral qualm, so can you.
Stealing concepts can come from various places. Here’s 2 on the cuff. Mr. Black likes his movies and TV shows on hard formats (DVD/Blu-Ray). Because of the extra features. On the Talladega Nights DVD is an extended riff of Ricky Bobby and Cal extended commercial promos and public service announcements. Not only are they hilarious, they can give you ideas, pitch and tones. The same is true of SNL’s ESPN Classics sketches. Pete Twinkle’s line reads inspire Mr. Black every time...
You don’t have to do it alone. Your players can help you out. We all know Shadowrun has its 20 Questions. Mr. Black has 100 in his 20 questions, and many are asking his players what their favorite foods and pop culture are. If you have 5 players, and each of them creates the names of 5 songs and TV shows and movies and ice cream flavors (and more!) you now have 25 of each to use in your game. And your players will feel included when you use them. Rewarding their players with Karma and Nuyen? That’s fair. Having their favorite song for 2080 blaring over the Crews earbuds during the action section of your game, and giving that character imaginary** front row tickets to their favorite imaginary** band? That is fragging priceless omae. And it shows you listen to your players, and makes your Mr. Johnson or fixer look omnipotent.
A good app on your phone can help, for when inspiration hits. Note down names, ideas, or quirky traits. Get it down somewhere, so you can expand on it later. You can do quick screenshots, take photos, and do internet dives, and save it all for later.
So you have named 3-4 key members of the Street Spiders, a local go-gang, decided they are all riding Suzuki Mirages (fast and cheap) and carrying Colt L36’s (just cheap. You lifted a street level blacklister from the Black List, did some screen captures of a graphitti you liked (or did a quick design in a graphics app) as their street tag to show the players, and created a small charity to help clean up the streets to hire the Crew (or is it a holding company for Brackhaven Investments, looking to clean up the neighborhood so they can flip it?) Now you have a nice little run for your players! Throw in some hangers talking about the trideos from last night (“Hoi butch, you scan that new Doctor Quinn trid? That Sarah Iron Bear is smootchie!” “Chip truth butch, but when Sully came out of that pond shirtless? I go ba-bootchie for Chrissy Kane!”) and you have got something chummer.
And steal from Mr. Black! Here are some ads to use. Mr. Black will load 3-5 every month just for all of you, dear readers! 😉
*Date Stamping is a technique for showing both the passage of time, and establishing mood and place through use of holidays, news feeds and more. See Part 2 of Creating Immersive Gameplay.
** Imaginary in that they are just part of your game. They cost you and the player nothing. No one got extra nuyen or karma.
No comments:
Post a Comment