a-simple-trick-for-encounter-inspiration

A Simple Trick For Encounter Inspiration

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0846

Roleplaying Tips GM Emmanuel from Lyon shares good advice on where to get encounter inspiration:

Hello from France Johnn,

As usual a very useful chronicle. Thanks for how you improved my gaming these years.

Here’s one of my tips for encounters.

I always carry a paper notebook. And when I have an encounter idea I write it down along things I note from real life, like records, people dying, incidents, funny animals on youtube, etc.

When I need an encounter I turn a few pages in my notebook.

For example, one year ago a circus burned, animals escaped and the circus was sued. Elsewhere a painter got his funeral crashed by two women each saying she was his wife. Elsewhere riots occurred. Also I met a goofy guy full of false blood looking for a goth party and a friend got carjacked for his leather jacket.

All that on a weekend.

The great thing is that these ideas speak to you because you remember them as stories, so it is very lively and you add details effortlessly.

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Comment From Johnn:

If you do not have weekends as interesting as Emmanuel, you might try a news app. On my iPad I have BBC News, CBC News, and Reddit.

The headlines alone can inspire encounters!

Thank you for the tip, Emmanuel. Hello to France from Canada.