Casting Shadows

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~ 

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   

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4HxiFwdUhC86M8EmakmAh0?si=4b43a704eba44fa1

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 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6gEBc1EfGYcNpgsFxsGfEA?si=c211bcdb03324daa

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

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7mlggy3RMWhJlJ1WmdAtA6?si=fde0cf8cf5da4c22

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:

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. As always, if you would like to communicate with me about the Alien series or any of the other episodes of past seasons of the podcast, you can leave a voice message on Anchor or try runescastshadows at the intersection of g and mail.

For the YouTube of playlist of the campaign, tutorials, unboxing, and commentary for Alien, please click here.

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. 

Blog Version

This is a partial interlude in the Alien RPG series on horror and improvisation in that it is a different example of the use of improvisation toward a specific genre and player-experience goal for atmosphere and context, but unlike Alien, is high adventure pulp heroics in an implausible 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. I hope that you enjoy it~

If you would like the watch the original session:

If you would like to listen to the podcast version with its commentary on the session, that is Episode 1.6 of this podcast.

Episode 1.6 [Actual Play] Sky Riders and the Mist Pirates of Venus

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.    

            The Casting Shadows Blog

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.  

Part 3: Hearing the Alien...   On description and how it can be approached as a skill for horror gaming.

Links:  

Choice of Voice

Where I can be found:

Casting Shadows Blog 

YouTube Channel: Runeslinger

Part 2: Feeding the Alien - On character and the two modes to enjoy them with in this game.

On Genre Being Rule Zero

Where I can be found:

Casting Shadows Blog

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

2. Conscience in Gaming

3. Conscientious Gamers

Where I can be found:

Casting Shadows Blog