Reverb Gamers: Necessities
Question #8: What's the one gaming accessory (lucky dice, soundtrack, etc.) you just can't do without? Why?
I'm pretty sure there's no such beast. I like my dice, certainly. I like my folders of notes. But I am capable of sitting down and running a game off the cuff with no dice and no notes, and it'll still be a good game. It'll probably wreak utter havoc on the campaign world as I veer off from established plotlines, merrily barrelling straight ahead where a plot was supposed to turn left, or worse, end. But it'll be backward consistent, and forward hasn't happened yet. Besides, the players do that every third or fourth game anyway, so it's not a major problem.
I've been playing without a screen in recent months, too. I like my screens, but in the current configuration of our kitchen, people are constantly passing behind my seat, so there's not a lot of point, and my handwriting is still difficult enough that accidentally reading it upside-down is unlikely. I trust the players not to do so deliberately.
I've never used soundtracks much. In theory, I like them. In practice, they're rather distracting. And my voice is of a particular pitch that seems to be blocked by background noise very easily, so unless I deliberately re-pitch and project, it'll be hard for the players to hear me over it. Besides which, I'm never 100% happy signing over atmosphere to a band or composer; it's never quite right.
So, short answer: Ain't got none.
Posted by Drew Shiel at January 16, 2012 2:03 PM
