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Fizilbert
Learned Scribe
USA
123 Posts |
 Posted - 03 Nov 2009 : 16:13:54
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This may sound a bit silly, but I'm actually trying to implement a few "props" into my campaign. Currently I am working on two. The first is a letter that my group will find on a wizard strike group sent to kill them. While I am sure almost everyone who has DMed has written letters for their group to read, what I am doing differently is I am attempting to obscure parts of the letter with fake blood, as if it was stained by the blood of the guy who was carrying it.
The second one I am doing is a piece of parchment which has a list of names on it. The group will find this piece of paper in a house that has recently been torched, so I have printed out the names and have lit it on fire in a few places, destroying parts of it so that the group doesnt' have the "whole" list of names, just bits and pieces.
I was just wondering if anyone else has done any props for their groups, and if so what?
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Fiz
Level 10 Vice-president
World of Elethril |
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Tyranthraxus
Senior Scribe
Netherlands
423 Posts |
Posted - 03 Nov 2009 : 17:04:37
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| I'm a big fan of player hand-outs. I've written quite a few letters and journal entries over the years. I also print out a map of the region for players. |
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wintermute27
Learned Scribe
USA
179 Posts |
Posted - 04 Nov 2009 : 02:46:20
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I've made similar handouts in the past. Here is one similar to the one you described. I typed up the note then changed the font to an Espruar one I found on the main Candlekeep site. An industrious player took the prop note and compared it to the "translated" copy I provided after a successful Decipher Script check and worked out the code and managed to read the parts that were "obscured" by the blood stains.
I'm currently working on a Cormyrean Adventurer's Charter for my players to read and sign for my next campaign. |
My Current Campaign: The Adventures of the Stonelanders |
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Gang Falconhand
Seeker
United Kingdom
85 Posts |
Posted - 04 Nov 2009 : 08:20:48
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| I once wrote and printed out a book that my players found. It was partially helpful and partially hinderful as it was filled with lies (being a false history of Gargauth penned by a dozen Sharran sages over the course of hundreds of years). |
"If you have a quality let it define you." |
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Fizilbert
Learned Scribe
USA
123 Posts |
Posted - 04 Nov 2009 : 13:06:13
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Nice note Wintermute. If I can find the ol camera, I'll try and take pics of mine. I went out and got some paper canvas in a colour that looks like parchment I think. It took me a while to try and figure out a "blood" look. After trying several different mixtures that never looked right, I ended up going with straight food colouring dropped on the note.
What about other props? I've thought about getting some fake plastic "gems" to hand out when the group finds some. Or even some fake "coins" when the group may find a strange form of ancient currency. |
Fiz
Level 10 Vice-president
World of Elethril |
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wintermute27
Learned Scribe
USA
179 Posts |
Posted - 04 Nov 2009 : 15:01:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Fizilbert
What about other props? I've thought about getting some fake plastic "gems" to hand out when the group finds some. Or even some fake "coins" when the group may find a strange form of ancient currency.
If I wasn't so broke, I'd love to buy these for use with my group. One of my friends had a board game called Dread Pirate that came with coated, metal "pieces of eight" that made a pleasant clinking sound while you were playing the game. I think that the Campaign Coins would add a similar level of tactile enjoyment to a gaming session. |
My Current Campaign: The Adventures of the Stonelanders |
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Christopher_Rowe
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
879 Posts |
Posted - 04 Nov 2009 : 15:34:20
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I try to make up for my, erm, looseness, with rules and dice rolls with production values. I build terrain, use tons of miniatures and handouts, music, voices, the whole nine yards. And yeah, props. Notes and maps on "aged" paper are a favorite (I sometimes even go so far as to do two copies, one a transliteration the appropriate alphabet, then an English or Spanish or whatever one).
But I also have a box full of hundreds of gold and silver coins (plastic), and amulets, toy weapons, rings. I get most of this stuff from party supply houses. When I say you found an amulet, I hand them an amulet, along with a card with its game mechanics description in the 4E house style for magic items.
On the one hand, people dig it. On the other hand, it's why I take so long between DMing sessions!
Cheers,
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My Realms novel, Sandstorm, is now available for ordering. |
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Fizilbert
Learned Scribe
USA
123 Posts |
Posted - 04 Nov 2009 : 16:09:51
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Here is a link to my blood letter and burnt note.
Those coins look awesome. I see they say they just got back from DragonCon, but I dont recall seeing anyone there selling things like that, I was in the dealer rooms quite often. Hmm..
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Fiz
Level 10 Vice-president
World of Elethril |
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Quale
Master of Realmslore
1757 Posts |
Posted - 04 Nov 2009 : 16:11:26
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| I really use bare minimum, no miniatures or whatever, just leave it all to the imagination. Long ago I did make maps with burned edges but that got old. |
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Asgetrion
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1564 Posts |
Posted - 05 Nov 2009 : 22:47:12
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quote:
Originally posted by Tyranthraxus
I'm a big fan of player hand-outs. I've written quite a few letters and journal entries over the years. I also print out a map of the region for players.
Me too! :)
Ah, I miss the days when I had more time to do them; these days I can barely squeeze time for 2-3 per adventure (if even that). A fellow DM once ran an adventure with 30+ hand-outs in it, and drew something like 200+ of them for another campaign (and those were all REALLY good ones... letters, portraits, maps, contracts, etc.). |
"What am I doing today? Ask me tomorrow - I can be sure of giving you the right answer then."
-- Askarran of Selgaunt, Master Sage, speaking to a curious merchant, Year of the Helm |
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 01:14:47
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I made my own monopoly money for tracking wealth in my game. Everyone gets a ziploc "bag of holding" and all the money, gems and items I give out are printed up on slips of paper. For the money, I found pictures of coins or heraldic symbols on the net that roughly match the emblems on Faerűnian coins and cut and pasted them into a grid I made in Excel. I had the names on the coins and the denominations. Up to gold trade bars. Also printed out the denominations using colored paper for different amounts. Cut them out into uniform slips. Worked well, still use them. I printed up enough that I only had to do it once. Everyone knows exactly how much money they have and I make them turn it into the bank when they buy something cool.
I will say, I didn't get much use out of the copper, silver and even the lower denominations of gold after a couple of adventures because as the players scale up in level, the amount of money they need and use scales up to where copper, silver and single gold coins are practically useless. If i had to do it over i would just use poker chips for the lower denominations. But the art looked cool and the novelty of it was fun and added to the feel of the game, so I am glad i did it.
For larger amounts I use trade bars and gems and drams of residuum (still printed on slips of paper). |
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Fizilbert
Learned Scribe
USA
123 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 01:50:08
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Interesting idea about the money, I never thought to do that. I like the idea that they had to pay for things by taking the money out of their bags. I'll have to play around with that idea some and see if it's something I could implement in my game.
At one time I did try to make little coins on my own. There was a lot of housing construction around where I lived, and I noticed on the floors of the houses all this little metal disks. They were the punchouts from the little metal boxes that hold plugs and switches in the walls. I picked them up and painted them copper, silver, and gold. At first they looked real neat, but then the paint start wearing off them quickly. I sorta gave up on them at that point, but I realize now I probably could have coated them with some clear gloss coat to seal in and protect the paint job.
If you are by some construction you can probably find the little disks sitting around, or if you know someone who works in construction they can probably bring you buckets full of them. |
Fiz
Level 10 Vice-president
World of Elethril |
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Bakra
Senior Scribe
628 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2009 : 16:07:17
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| Every time I come here and see a thread like this I consider myself blessed. So many good ideas. So many ideas I can ste...borrow. |
I hope Candlekeep continues to be the friendly forum of fellow Realms-lovers that it has always been, as we all go through this together. If you don’t want to move to the “new” Realms, that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with either you or the “old” Realms. Goodness knows Candlekeep, and the hearts of its scribes, are both big enough to accommodate both. If we want them to be.
(Strikes dramatic pose, raises sword to gleam in the sunset, and hopes breeches won’t fall down.)
Enough for now. The Realms lives! I have spoken! Ale and light wines half price, served by a smiling Storm Silverhand fetchingly clad in thigh-high boots and naught else! Ahem . .
So saith Ed. <snip>
love to all,
THO
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Fizilbert
Learned Scribe
USA
123 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2009 : 14:04:41
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| Has anyone every tried messing around with wax seals? |
Fiz
Level 10 Vice-president
World of Elethril |
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Christopher_Rowe
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
879 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2009 : 15:05:34
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I've actually successfully sent wax-sealed letters through the mail to my players before, at least when they didn't have to leave the local mailstream.
Whenever I have the opportunity to create a message for a specific character, I try to send it between sessions. I start with some kind of cool paper (usually found stuff--ask a local print shop if you can look in the recycling bin by their trimworks and you can usually find all kinds of neat stuff), write a letter (I used to use an actual feather pen but now I use a Lamy Safari with Noodler's bulletproof black ink), then use one of the techniques at letterfu.com to make the letter into an envelope. Seal with wax, write "please hand cancel" on the front someplace, and send it along.
quote:
Originally posted by Fizilbert
Has anyone every tried messing around with wax seals?
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My Realms novel, Sandstorm, is now available for ordering. |
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Fizilbert
Learned Scribe
USA
123 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2009 : 18:30:16
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Neat.
Where did you get the wax? For S&Gs I tried to use wax from a regular candle and it didn't work all that well. |
Fiz
Level 10 Vice-president
World of Elethril |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2009 : 18:39:28
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I think the nearest thing to props we ever came to props were using cigarette packages and lighters to show placement of creatures and characters. I have never seen a mini in all my years of playing. Even maps were rare.
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Christopher_Rowe
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
879 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2009 : 19:18:05
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quote:
Originally posted by Fizilbert
Neat.
Where did you get the wax? For S&Gs I tried to use wax from a regular candle and it didn't work all that well.
Most any decent stationary store will have sealing wax--even the stationary departments at large bookstores. Or hobby and craft stores, too.
Have fun!
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My Realms novel, Sandstorm, is now available for ordering. |
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Props
