The difference between a prop which a player physically gets to handle and read, and two minutes of you reading awkwardly purple prose from a scripted handout, is immense. Where possible, “show, don’t tell”. If you want some aged paper, mix a pinch of instant coffee into some warm water, scrunch your paper lightly and then smooth it back out, and then pour the coffee-water lightly over your handout. After this, put it on a tray in your oven on the lowest setting and DON’T FORGET ABOUT IT (few things spoil a prop more than being on fire, unless that’s the point). Leave it maybe 10-15 minutes, but keep an eye on it. You don’t want it burned around the edges, but the act of wetting and drying it will make it more brittle than normal, and will make it look aged. You can also hand-write it if you want to spend some time on calligraphy, but that can be hard (and I’ve worked as an engraver, trust me). It does add a *lot* to the appearance, though. Study up on the language you’re writing, too. If you can get a digital font which is Dwarvish or something (dafont.com , or rpgnow.com have some good ones), this can save you a lot of time, and will look ‘right’ if you keep it consistent. You may even have a player who takes this to heart, and does their own research, which can really pay off for you. Don’t let them write their whole character sheet or hit points in another language, though... that can backfire! ;) Let us know about props you’ve used in-game! (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 25 February 2018) Categories All Comments are closed.
|
AuthorI'm Luke. He/him pronouns. Archives
May 2022
Categories
All
|