MU Podcast 042 – Eldritch Inklings

E42_Image_InklingsIn Episode 42, we talk about sources of inspiration for scenarios, as well as how to keep your game fresh, and your players coming back for more. We also talk about when to use an existing skill versus when to create a new one. Due to another rich of vein of feedback and voice mails, we discuss reviving the Pickman’s Art Institute segments, ways to handle pregame recaps in an ongoing adventure, period music sources, monster research, and good D&D modules to adapt for gaming in the Dreamlands. Plus two contest winners, and more!

Campus Crier

  • Dan- A couple of Dan’s friends started their own podcast about Shadowrun. It’s called the Arcology Podcast, and you can find it by clicking this thing right here!

Feedback

We’re getting tons of feedback now, and we love it!

One of the things that first caught my interest with your podcast was \”The Pickman institute\” as no other podcast takes any interest in the art side of the industry anymore. So I would love to hear more about the visual influence of art work on games for the keepers descriptions and the history of weird art. The weird art side has been around longer than weird fiction, just under other names. So anyway guys, Love the show, Stay groovy, — Reuben Sorrowking Dodd.
Reuben is the artist behind Island of Ignorance: The Third Cthulhu Companion from Golden Goblin Press.  
 

I wanted to ask you a question about keeping players up to date with regards to in-game events. In the past with different gaming groups and different RPGs I’ve used various methods to keep my players informed/reminded about events that have occurred in-game. I’ve used simple verbal recaps at the table, printed newsletters, emailed journals and MS Power Point presentations, or a combination of these. What’s your preferred means of keeping your players up to date with your games’ events? Maybe you don’t do this at all and just let your players’ notes be all that they have to go on in between sessions. My second question has to do with music resources. In my current game I’m planning to use a Power Point presentation as a means of recapping what’s happened in previous sessions. My plan is to make it look and sound like a recap from something akin to an old Republic Pictures serial (ie: Dick Tracy or Captain Marvel). I’d really like to have some era appropriate adventuresome music accompanying the presentation and wanted to know if you had any suggestions. I think the music used for Dr. Gerard’s History pieces is definitely along the lines of what I’m looking for. Can you tell me where you got it and if there any online sources for free music that you can recommend for my purposes as well as general game mood music. — Todd, North Bay, Ontario

http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/

http://search.creativecommons.org/ Voicemail- Doctor Bob Voicemail- Trevelix Voicemail- DM CoJo The First Edition D&D modules that DM CoJo mentions are: B4 The Lost City X2 Castle Amber Ex1 Dungeonland EX2 The Land Behind the Magic Mirror N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God And Jon mentions this series- Desert of Desolation (Series I3 – I5) Card Catalog

Dan digs up the Weird Name Generator, and a Call of Cthulhu NPC Generator — complete with stats as well!

Miskatonic Radio Pulp

Cryptocurium Discussion, on The Inner Sanctum

Side Topic 

As keepers, when do you decide to make up new skills or just use a stat check or comparable skill? Specifically, at what line do you cross to decide that something needs its own category? — Logar

Main Topic

I would love to hear you guys talk about sources of inspiration. It seems that I come up with a great idea for a scenario (to me at least), then I get to writing it and get discouraged part-way through. How do you guys stay inspired and where do you get ideas from? — Trevlix

Jon mentions the phenomena known as The Hum. Here are a couple of links regarding it:

http://www.blurryphotos.org/episode-40-strange-sounds/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hum

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