Syrinscape: Making Games Better

If you've gotten the hang of using music to make your role-playing game sessions or board game nights more awesome, then allow me this moment to recommend to you Syrinscape.   Available on both iOS and Android, Syrinscape is an app designed to allow dynamic audio additions to your favorite games.

And boy, does this app allow you to do things very well. There are multiple tracks available for a variety of scenes and moods, with tracks easily set to loop, or to be tweaked to work with other audio elements.  There are also hot key buttons to add specific sounds for key moments. Want to surprise the group by letting them know the monster has arrived?  Tap the button to trigger the growling sound before you tell them its upon them, for that added OMG moment!  The app is free to try out, and there are loads of available soundscapes to add to it if you find it fun to use.

Even more awesome, they're not limiting themselves to role-playing games!  There are sound boards for some of your favorite board games.  My special love goes to their Catan and their Chess soundboards.  There's a lot of fun in using the ticking-clock sound of the Chess game for tense scenes, and the Catan one just makes production of Wool, Wheat, Stone and Wood so much more fun!

In full disclosure, they sent me a copy of the app to try with some free tracks a LOOOOONG time back, but I have been so used to using my own tunes and stuff that I completely neglected to try the app.  Literally a few years down the line, I remembered having it, tried it out and had such a fun time using it I feel bad that I didn't try it sooner.

So if you ever want to add more music to your games, and you don't think you have the time to dig through a variety of movie scores and the like, then this app is a great way to do it without having to spend too much time searching for stuff.  The site currently boasts a healthy collection of sound options, and the subscription choices are actually pretty well priced for what they offer.

Check out Syrinscape today!
Download options for both PC and mobile devices available here.

One Last Journey Pregen Stuff

For those who might want to try running  a similar Ryuutama game as I did, set during the coming end of the world, you can use the pre-generated character sheets I've prepared, as well as the Promise Cards I created for the game here for free.

I created these sheets  with Adobe Illustrator, and a lot of flipping through pages.  Images were of course found online via Google searches.  Maybe someday, I can afford to have actual original art for my sessions.  But for now, these will have to suffice":

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B41mvRogYK7xZ0ZyQWRyVUkwU0E

The files are all PDFs and are intended for personal use and are not intended to infringe on any copyrights.

Some basic guidelines:
1) All players are to understand the world is ending, and as far as they can tell there is no stopping it.  Given this is a Ryuutama game and not the usual fantasy RPG, the objective of the session is not find a way to stop it.  But rather, to make the most of the remaining time in this final adventure.

2) The Promise Cards are intended to help guide the players to finding direction in the story.  Most people, facing the end of the world, might simply break down or end up emotionally shattered.  The players are not playing a game where their characters are in such a state.  Instead, they are playing characters who believe even with the meager time left, there is no reason not to make the most of it.

3) There is no actual set deadline on when the world finally ends.  In our game, I set it to a real timer, so whatever the scene was, when the timer ran out then it was time to announce that the sky had turned black and the world was ending.

This gave the game an interesting feeling of not knowing when it would happen, and of the desire to make the most of every hour they had.

4) The ending is not pre-written nor set in stone.  Instead, it is tailored to what matches the players' narrative.  In my game, the others seemed so determined to embrace life to the point they chose to let monsters live and walk away.  It seemed appropriate for the Black Ryuujin to still get the proper tale, some other kind of sacrifice was in order.  At first, I hinted at some one having to give up on their Promise to allow another to succeed.   Then later tried making it a matter of one sacrificing a peaceful future for the rest to live happily.

But in the end, the group wonderfully embraced the path they took and it seemed apt to go the route that death does not equal the end.

5) Character creation was done for thematic appeal, so yes I did not actually calculate things so each player character spent "the same amount of cash."  But that's cause I don't believe in game balance being necessary for a good game.  Not when players embrace the importance of sharing the responsibility of everyone having fun.

6) Finally, I'm tempted to come up with four sets of Promise Cards.  Each card can be a quick and dirty method for payers to choose an interesting plot thread that they can explore matching a specific Ryuujin.  I was thinking it might prove to be an interesting tool for new players, and a fun challenge for more experienced players.

I don't know, though, if I can legally do this.  Hopefully I get a go signal to do so.

Have fun!

 Here are the maps our Mapmaker made for the game.  So lovely!  Thank you Carl!

Gamers Using Mobile Phones During a Game?

Maybe it is time to tell them all to download this app?  Switch them on and leave the app running as you play your game.  Those who dare cause the trees to die deserve to have treants, owl bears, and whatever other Nature inspired threat assault them.
:-P




Forest: Stay Focused 
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cc.forestapp&hl=en

wideawake ep0 : Bliss Stage

Starting a Bliss Stage mini-chronicle with Marc, Meloy, Che and Rocky.  We're tremendously excited to get started and we've already begun world-building and mapping out the characters we are to play.  For our game, I decided to create two sheets to help facilitate play better.

The first is the GM Mission sheet, which easily allows the players to see later where the Fate dice can be assigned to see how a mission unfolds.

The second is the character sheet, with areas for each character (Pilot, Anchor and Support cast) as well as a nice area to assign Relationships to your ANIMa.  There are areas for the Trust, the Stress, and the Intimacy rating.    At the bottom, I've also included a Terror and Trauma meter, and the players will be using tokens to mark their ratings.

Here's hoping the game goes well!
For the PDFs, visit The Garapata Repository.

EDIT: Revised the GM sheet when Ben corrected me that blanks should give 0 Bliss! Thanks Ben.

One Night, While Outside... Part Two

In the tradition of wandering monster tables, here's a table for events or encounters that one might have in the city streets at night for games set during the modern era. From simple, to odd, to terrifying, to humorous, here's hoping this table helps you guys who might be in a creative rut.

This is 61. I -100.  The original 1-50 table actually was popular enough that I felt it was time to create the next batch of "random encounters."  Hope you like these!

Cities have so many secrets.

51	The sky is falling.  Satellites are dropping from orbit.
52	You see a hand.  Blood trail leads to the alleyway.
53	A flash of light.  Was that a camera trained at you?
54	That cat.  Was it just whispering to another cat in English?
55	Look.  It’s a blue police box.
56	Air raid sirens.  Is that a huge plane in the sky?
57	Take my money.  It is a gift.
58	The car. It has been left idling.  And the door is open.
59	The statue just shifted in position.
60	Cars crash into each other.  It is green at every intersection you can see.
61	Snow.  But when you touch it, it feels instead like ashes.
62	A cellphone rings.  It matches your ringtone but it isn't yours.
63	Smoke. A building is on fire.
64	That woman just left her baby on the steps.
65	Everyone’s cellphones ring.  They all start asking for you.
66	Chains rattle.  From the nearest sewer.
67	A taxi stops in front of you.  “Get in,” someone says.
68	Someone is playing a saxophone.  The music echoes all around you.
69	Two buildings have switched places.  But neither show signs of construction.
70	A dog whimpers and runs into the alleyway.  A sudden terrible growl silences it.
71	A glass wall.  You can’t feel where it ends.
72	A floating white arrow appears in the sky.  A mouse pointer six-storeys tall.
73	The  newspaper headlines all talk about another country destroyed by a nuclear strike.
74	A red dot.  It shines on your chest.  You have three seconds to act.
75	Water.  In seconds, its already ankle deep.
76	A falling star.  It splits into three in the sky as it falls.
77	You feel an itch.  Reaching for it you realize you’re missing a finger.  But there’s no pain.
78	You can see people’s thoughts.   Floating word balloons in the sky.
79	A baby carriage has been left by the street corner.  No one seems to have noticed.
80	The shadows move.  They are following you.
81	An earthquake.  Buildings around you start to break.
82	An old flame emerges.  She looks homeless.
83	It is raining money.
84	The streets don’t look familiar.  Neither does the sky.
85	People break into song and dance.  It never ends.
86	Your key does not work on your lock.  Someone else opens the door.
87	You have a package.  It is a gun with a full clip and an mp3 player.
88	Cats follow you around.  They do not make any sound.
89	Lightning flashes. The stars fall.  A crack in the sky.
90	Two kids are playing hopscotch on the street ahead of you.  One of them vanishes.
91	The train does not stop to let you out.  It keeps going.  And going.
92	A policeman is waiting at your door.  He doesn't look happy.
93	You have become a shadow.  Everything else of you has ceased to exist.
94	Hungover.  In someone else’s house.  A wedding ring.
95	A celebrity waves at you.  More celebrities emerge.  All rush to ask for your signature.
96	The ground shakes.  And again.  And again.  Then gravity shifts upside down.
97	A man on a horse asks you for directions.  He speaks with a thick accent.
98	You receive a text message from your mother.  She’s asking you to help her surf the net.
99	She’s giving birth.  Right now.  And there’s no one else in sight.
100	The moon.  It just smiled at you.

That Girl You Just Met

That Girl You Just Met
by Tobie Abad

At one point in time, in practically any game you play, you'll meet... that Girl.  That Girl might be just a passer by who catches your eye.  Or a key non-playing character who has more of the plot to share.  But sometimes, that Girl might be far more than you expect.  Here are some ideas to throw into your games for a little twist on That Girl.

1. Maybe the Girl is more than a Girl...
She's the daughter of the main villain and has started a whole new life.  She's the mother of your children.  An alternate time-line sort of wife.  She's the brooding witch with powers you've never seen before.  She's the technognostic wizard who holds unspoken lore.  She's the root of primal energy.  She's the queen of every troll.  She's the embodiment of Destiny.  She's a stormtrooper since she's tall.    She's music manifest into a person.  She's the greatest swordsman in the land.  She's the source of all temptation.  She's the owner of the band.

2.  Maybe the Girl is just a Girl....

She's a funny little anecdote to add to the adventure's fun.  She's the farmgirl without a future.  Of all the witnesses, she isn't one.  She's the momentary distraction to the cast of thieves and kings.  She's just a faceless, nameless victim.  She's the entertainer who sings.

3.  Maybe the Girl is more than a Person...

She's the target of the mafia.  She's the treasure of the hag.  She's the source that's poisoning the realm.  She's the other character's living bag.  She's the scapegoat.  She's the lure.  She's the answer.  She's the cure.

4.  Or Maybe she is The Girl.
Don't ever let her go.

One Night, While Outside...

In the tradition of wandering monster tables, here's a table for events or encounters that one might have in the city streets at night for games set during the modern era.  From simple, to odd, to terrifying, to humorous, here's hoping this table helps you guys who might be in a creative rut.

This is 1-50.  I was originally aiming for 1-100 but given I haven't had any sleep for almost 48 hours now, I think I better lie down.

Hope you like these!

Who said playing games in a city had to be boring?

01	The power goes out.
02	The sound of breaking glass.  Was that somewhere nearby?
03	Damn it, you must have dropped your keys somewhere.
04	That dog.  It has been following you all night.
05	Stomach rumbles.  You need a bathroom soon.
06	Hungry.  Where’s the nearest food joint.
07	Gimme your money, this is a stick up.
08	What’s that smell?  Oh my god, is that some kind of gas?
09	The driver is drunk!   The car is headed straight for you.
10	A comet! Did you see that?
11	Wolves howling.  In the city?
12	Your cellphone rings.  Why would your mother call at this hour?
13	Sirens.  An ambulance drives past you in a hurry.
14	The man is calling for help.  He drops dead right in front of you, but you can’t see any cause.
15	All the televisions sets at the window… they’re showing a woman staring right at you.
16	Battery warning.  5% left.
17	Rain.  Hope you brought an umbrella.
18	Someone is singing nearby.  The voice echoes in the darkness.
19	A black helicopter is in the sky.  It isn’t making any sounds.
20	The people in front of you have all stopped and answered their phone at the same time.
21	A young girl is crying.  She tells you she is lost.
22	You stepped on a sticky puddle.  Blood.
23	An eclipse.  But there wasn’t any word of this in the news today.
24	A gunshot.  That came from nearby.
25	The reporter on the screen can’t be heard through the glass. But the screen says, “Missile launched.”  The reporter is in tears.
26	Something moves nearby. Scales against the shadows.
27	Something hits your eye.  The sharp pain blinds you for a second.
28	You can’t breathe.  But looking around, you realize you aren’t the only one!
29	An old woman is crossing the street.  She smiles at you a second before a bus runs her down.
30	A butterfly lands on your shoulder.  It flutters away into the darkness.
31	A crash.  People are clambering out of the subway station, covered in blood, screaming for help.
32	A celebrity exits a theater followed by paparazzi.
33	A motorcycle drives by, snatching your bag.
34	You blink.  It is suddenly day.  You lost a few hours.
35	Four men emerge from a van.  They walk up to you and ask you to come with them.
36	A star lands in front of you.  It asks for your help.
37	There’s a door that wasn’t there before.  There are lights underneath it.
38	You feel odd.  Your reflection shows someone else’s face.
39	Snow.  But it doesn’t snow here.
40	The tree rustles.  There’s something up there on its branches.  Something big.
41	The sky.  It is suddenly filled with glowing streaks.  Has something fallen into the atmosphere?
42	A pregnant woman is on the floor.  She’s barely alive.
43	You just realized something.  You have no shadow!
44	You cough.  Something in your throat.  You spit it out.  It’s a loose screw.
45	A car stops nearby.  You see your ex step out.
46	People are all looking at each other dumbfounded.  You realize why.  You don’t know your name.  No one remembers any one’s names.
47	A nun is walking in the opposite direction.  She throws you a wink.
48	Military soldiers appear as you turn the corner.  Biohazard suits and spotlights.
49	You see yourself.  Across the street.  Staring back.
50	Sirens.  A massive mechanical thing… a humanoid thing… emerges from the nearby empty lot.