Physical Representations & Gaming Aids
While I don’t normally use minis in games I run, they can certainly have an enhancing effect for many players. Don’t let them become the focus though. Minis are intended to make the game more fun, not to become the game.
If you hvae ever seen it, take a look at HeroQuest! Fun game, although a littly pricy now-a-days.
Using a Virtual Table to play a game has been a fun experiance, something relitivly new to any of my groups. The only real drawback has been getting everyone’s technical issues sorted.
Live Action
Costuming is king in a LARP. It is the ultimate gaming aid, and you need to invest a conciderable amount of though, if not money, into your costume, weapons and armor. It really can make or break your gaming experiance.
I recomment The Ren Store, or your local Ren Fair for starting out.
http://stores.renstore.com/StoreFront.bok
CosPlay
The devil is in the details…CosPlay is often less about the RP and more about the costumeing. Its like LARP Lite on Steroids.
Some judges will rob you of points for store bought items, so know your CosPlay judges and what is expected. If you are just doing it for the fun of a little lite RP at a con, go with what works and don’t worry so much about handcrafting every little bit.
BUT…never underestimate how much more awesome it is to be the person that shows up in a handmade, articulated Iron Man outfit!
Virtual
Die rollers can be convinent, but nothing beats the sweet, sweet sound of a die bouncing off the table and the collective death rattle of your players when they score a critical faliure!
Fillable character sheets can be nice…but it can lead to deforstiation. Save the planet!
Character Generators do make life a little easier. Here are some links to CG’s we mentioned in the show:
L5R CM – https://code.google.com/p/l5rcm/
And…while not a “CG” as such, HeroMachine is still cool – http://www.heromachine.com/heromachine-3-lab/
Other ideas
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Final Thought
Using physreps can add a lot to your game, but they can also make it feel more mechanical and limit your imagination. Before you get too carried away, take stock of what you actually need and how much those physreps can really bring to your game.
You can end up spending a lot of money on physreps, make sure they are things you are actually gonna use. There is nothng like having thousands of dollers worth of gaming equipment you are never gonna use again. Your imagination can be one of the greatest assets you have in gaming, don’t waste a lot of money suppressing it.
The post S1E6: The Quest – PhysReps and Gaming Aids appeared first on The Quest.