S3E15 Using Music, Art, and Props in Your Game

On this episode of the Lair of Secrets podcast we look at using different media in your role-playing game sessions. This includes tools like thematic artwork, background music, in-game fiction, and even props. We also look at the new Sentinels of Earth-Prime digital card game by Handelebra (based on the print game by Greater than Games), venture into the library to check out Warren Ellis’ Transmetropolitan comic series, and offer our initial thoughts on the Cyberpunk RED role-playing game.

The Arcade

• Sentinels of Earth-Prime (iOS, Android, Steam)
  • By the developers of Sentinels of the Multiverse … but with the heroes of Green Ronin’s Freedom City!
  • Enemies like:
    • Omega, Hades, Meta-Mind (Grue Mothership), Argo: The Ultimate Android
  • Heroes like:
    • Bowman, Captain Thunder, Doctor Metropolis, Daedalus, Lady Liberty, Siren
  • Greater Than Games (original developers)
  • Handelabra (video game developers)

The Library

• Transmetropolitan comic series
  • Darick Robertson and Warren Ellis
  • Libraries are awesome

The Game Room

• Cyberpunk RED Initial Thoughts
  • It’s crunchy.
  • It’s deadly.
  • Range matters. (really).
  • Netrunning works. And it’s fun! (really).
  • Black Chrome on Roll20?
    • Black Chrome
    • Black Chrome+
• Monster of the Week
  • Ken’s lunchtime gaming group is gearing up for Monster of the Week.
  • A Powered By the Apocalypse game inspired by shows like Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Main Topic: Using different media in your game

• Music
  • Playlists
    • Used for background music during game and also a way to get into the game during planning a session
    • Elemental Apocalypse – Spotify
      • Heavily inspired by Willow. Music to do heroic things to.
    • Cyberpunk RED – Spotify
      • There’s a lot of The Matrix and Edgerunners in here.
  • Soundboards
    • Used during the game to give a timely thrill to players and evoke the scene
    • Syrinscape
  • Discord’s new soundboard feature
  • Atmospheric 
  • Movie and television soundtracks
    • Music that evokes a particular genre
• Art
  • Pinterest
    • Cyberpunk RED
    • Arcologies
    • Battle maps for Cyberpunk Red
    • Elemental Apocalypse
    • Battlemaps for Elemental Apocalypse
  • Searching for Concept Art
    • Not super detailed, but leave a lot to the imagination
  • Google Image Search
• Fiction
  • In game newspaper/newsletter
    • The Constant Sentinel (in-universe blog for Mutants & Masterminds)
    • Screamsheets
      • Screamsheet kit from R. Talsorian
      • Lair of Secrets’ Screamsheet collection
    • Fantasy paper talking about news of the world
      • Your party’s exploits are also covered
  • Twisting stories you’ve read and heard into your own game plots
  • The World of Kong: A natural history of Skull Island
• Props
  • Newspaper articles for Call of Cthulhu
  • Weathering your maps for handouts.
  • Cardboard kid puzzles
    • Spray paint so you’ve wiped out picture, then write the map on it, and break the puzzle appear to give them the pieces.

Feedback

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Featured Image Meta

A collection of elemental-themed illustrations from Ken’s Elemental Apocalypse board on Pinterest.

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