Bringing the game to life

By Juan Rodriguez

I spent many hours in my room, preparing the necessary details for my Dungeons & Dragons stories. I can recall many times, while the AC was down, I would put pencil to paper, writing note, developing characters, creating scenarios, and more. It didn’t matter if it was hot and humid, all I needed was something to drink, my stereo (which I played Dream Theatre), some pencils, pens, marker pens, highlighters, Marble Notebooks (One for the story, one for the dungeon or location, one for Non-Player Characters I created), small and large graph paper to describe scenes and scenarios, and my imagination.

For one story, or an episode to be great, I spent 4 to 6 hours a day (about 3 to 4 days of the week), writing details and creating the image I wanted for an exciting adventure.I wanted the Players to get a sense that when they went into an “Inn” to order food, they could smell the roasted chicken from the kitchen, just by my description of the herbs and spices. I wanted them to imagine the smells, and desire the food. If they wanted something to drink, I described the refreshing sensation they would get from the water, or the revolting flavor of the wine they drank.

Being an apprentice to a great Dungeon Master, Jimmy Martinez, a friend of mine (Sharrod Ford) recalled a scene where Jimmy described Asian food being presented to them as travelers in the game. He described every detail of the food, including the smell. He had the Players salivating. Minutes later, they asked the Dungeon Master to stop the game. Jimmy didn’t know why, but the Players told him that his description of the food was so good, it made them hungry. They ordered Chinese Food just to get a sense of that Asian experience in the game. To me, that’s a great Dungeon Master!

You may think it isn’t necessary for these kind of details in a game, but... if you want your players to come back for adventure, you need to step up your game. You don’t want a “Hack & Slash” game – that's boring!

So here are some tips to get your Players into the Game:

1.      Make the Scenario Believable – With imagination, do not be afraid to draw out the room, or the area. Try to imagine that if in real life we use all five senses, invite players to imagine in fantasy. Describe it, for example, “You sit down to order your meal. The chair you sit on seems unbalanced and weak. You turn to the wall on your left side and see stains of grease, and red spots, possible from wine splashes. Your stomach becomes upset as you notice a water bug crawl quickly on the wall where the stain is. It runs and disappears into the nearest crack.”

2.      Use Music to make the Scene Believable – Do not be afraid to improvise. Man, we used a Walkman or a tape deck with speakers to get the Players in the mood. Today, use your Computer, Ipad, or Iphone, and learn to control the mood of your players based on the scenario. I once played a classical Spanish Guitar CD, and told the players, “A band of talented musicians from Cormyr, came to Daggerfalls to entertain travelers who visited the Red Stone Inn.” Describing the music and musicians, the Players became more interested in the story, the scenario, and their surroundings. All I had to do was describe the room, the people, the noise, the decoration, and so much more. Players became interested in role playing.

3.      Draw the Scene – Players still love it when you draw the room, the building, the dungeon, or the environment. Use whatever it takes to let them experience the scenario. Make sounds that you would think of hearing in the forest. Make noise from the closing of a door that needs a bit of oil on the hinges. Make that sound of rain and thunder to the impression of a storm to the players.

4.      Act out your Characters – Man, you will capture the attention of your players if you gave details to your Non-Player Characters. Change up their voice, describe their appearance, smells, and more. The Non-Player Characters are just as essential to the story.

So Dungeon Masters, spend the time you need to make your game exciting! I promise you, with a detailed game, you’ll have faithful players! Take your story telling SERIOUSLY!