Episode 22: Musical Cues in Preparation for Improvisation

Summary

Music can be a useful tool when playing an RPG, but in my experience, I have found it to be even more useful in preparation for play. In this episode, I survey some of the ways I have found to aid my preparation for improvisation with music and playlists. We also touch on, thanks to the interest of The GMologist Presents and Hindsightless podcasts, the use of the incredible Operation: Mindcrime in these pursuits.

At the bottom of this page, I have placed a BONUS EPISODE where we go into specifics about the use of Mindcrime in play in my World of Darkness days~

Part 1 – Context of using music for Improvisation and Example 1: character playlists 

Part 2 – Example 2: Using Operation: Mindcrime by Queensryche on the metalevel for preparation and reference in play 

Part 3 – Using variations, covers, and remakes and Example 3: Tom Waits songs to inspire an NPC 

Further Example Playlists: 

Tom Waits: Delta Green – tRUST   

Icecream Man – God’s Away on Business – Murder in the Red Barn – What’s he Building? – 16 shells from a 30.06 

Tragically Hip: Delta Green – Seasons of Deepening Dismay 

She Didn’t Know – 38 Years Old –  Little Bones –  Locked in the Trunk of a Car –  Nautical Disaster  

Various Artists (re: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds) 

Dimensional Shambles – Red Right Hand covers, variations, and remakes

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Episode 21: Three Favored Systems – A Contest

Summary

Originally Published: February 23, 2022 at 8:27 PM

The blame for this episode rests squarely on the shoulders of Jason of the Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast. If you have not yet given him your thoughts on this matter, please do so now:

Contest Link

⁠Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast⁠ ⁠Voice Mail link to Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast⁠

Links from this Episode:

System 1   ⁠System Details⁠     ⁠Campaign Recap⁠       ⁠Actual Play Series⁠

System 2  ⁠System Details⁠      ⁠Numerous Actual Play Series⁠ (some with annotations)

System 3   ⁠Actual Play Series⁠ (with annotations)

Additional Links:

The Written Blog:  ⁠Casting Shadows⁠         

The tie-in post for this episode: ⁠Three Favored Systems? A Contest~⁠

The YouTube Channel: ⁠Runeslinger

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Episode 20: Sky Riders and the Silent Outpost – A Venus Chronicles Serial

Summary

This Actual Play session was run as an interlude during our time playing the ‘What Comes Home to Roost‘ campaign as Colonial Marines for Free League’s Alien RPG. It was also around the time that I started putting together the 7-part series of blog posts and podcast episodes on preparation for improvisation that comprise Episodes 13-19 on this site.

This session demonstrates a different example of the use of improvisation toward a specific genre and player-experience goal for atmosphere and context, but unlike our goals for Alien, this is high adventure pulp heroics in an implausible sword and planet setting of super-science and derring-do. Some of the techniques are similar, some are identical, and some are divergent from what we have discussed in the series so far.

This session uses one of our favorite systems (Ubiquity) to support a setting of my own invention. This was our second foray into my version of Venus that never was, but should have been. I hope that you enjoy it~

If you would like to watch this on ⁠YouTube⁠ rather than just listen to it, the link is:

⁠Sky Riders and the Silent Outpost⁠

If you would like the watch the original session:

⁠Sky Riders and the Mist Pirates of Venus⁠

If you would like to listen to the podcast version of the first session, with its commentary on our play, that is Episode 6 of this podcast.

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Episode 19: Alien RPG – Alienating the Alien

Summary

Part 7: Alienating the Alien… What are some of the elements of Free League’s Alien RPG that I find most useful? This episode looks at three: Abstract processing for Detailed outcomes, Conversational Gamespeak, and Layered Consequences.

This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore ⁠Alien the Roleplaying Game⁠ by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.    

Read the blog post for this episode!

Additional Links: Alien the Roleplaying Game – ⁠Rules and Actual Play 

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Episode 18: Alien RPG – Introducing the Alien

Summary

Part 6: Introducing the Alien…  In this installment of the preparation for improvisation series using Free League’s Alien RPG, we give a brief overview of the campaign so far and look at the process of ongoing assessment and analysis of play which makes it easier to shift and react to how play is really going, rather than how we might want it to go. 

This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore ⁠Alien the Roleplaying Game⁠ by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.    

Read the blog post for this episode!

Additional Links: Alien the Roleplaying Game – ⁠Rules and Actual Play 

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Episode 17: Alien RPG – Playing the Alien

Summary

Part 5: Playing the Alien…  On our first session, spontaneous improvisation within an understood framework of in-game and meta goals, and getting going even if not feeling 100% ready.

This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore ⁠Alien the Roleplaying Game⁠ by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.    

Read the blog post for this episode!

Additional Links: Alien the Roleplaying Game – ⁠Rules and Actual Play 

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Episode 16: Alien RPG – Framing the Alien

Summary

Part 4: Framing the Alien…  On conceptualizing the process of preparation in the context of who the characters are, what the approach to play is, and how those things intersect with the setting and its genre.

This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore ⁠Alien the Roleplaying Game⁠ by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.  

Read the blog post for this episode!

Links: Alien the Roleplaying Game – ⁠Rules and Actual Play 

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Episode 15: Alien RPG – Hearing the Alien

Summary

Part 3: Hearing the Alien…   On description and how it can be approached as a skill for horror gaming. This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore ⁠Alien the Roleplaying Game⁠ by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.      

Read the blog post for this episode!

Additional Links:  

⁠Choice of Voice

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Episode 14: Alien RPG – Feeding the Alien

Summary

Part 2: Feeding the Alien – On character and the two modes to enjoy them with in this game. This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore ⁠Alien the Roleplaying Game⁠ by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.    

Read the blog post for this episode!

Additional Links:  

⁠Discomfort, Fear, Terror, and Vast Cosmic Horror, on a dime a day~⁠

⁠On Genre Being Rule Zero

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Episode 13: Alien RPG – Embracing the Alien

Summary

Part 1: Embracing the Alien – on the choice of a horror game and how to implement it.

This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore ⁠Alien the Roleplaying Game⁠ by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.

Read the blog post for this episode!

Additional Links:

1. Interview with Andrew E.C. Gaska⁠ on Tabletop Talk

2. ⁠Conscience in Gaming⁠

3. ⁠Conscientious Gamers⁠

4. Roleplaying Rank in RPGs

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