Either as a player or as a GM, what kind of media or experience helps inspire you for play?

Inspiration is weird thing. You may see something while taking a walk and suddenly get an awesome idea. Other times, you may have to try really hard to come up with something interesting. So when I’m facing the second situation, I have a list of things that can kickstart my brain.

 

Games

Games can be a great source of inspiration. I’m not only talking about tabletop games but video games too. Many of them have incredible story and just by playing for a while or reading a little lore about one of them can be quite helpful sometimes. For example, World of Warcraft, Mass Effect and Dragon Age contain a lot of lore and can be sources of amazing ideas.

 

Books

I love books. And now, as a Dungeon Master, I can use the stories from the books I read as inspiration for my own stories. Some other times, I just browse the Monster Manual or the Dungeon Master’s Guide and just by reading excerpts I may come up with interesting ideas.

 

Art

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I agree. There are amazing pieces of art on the Internet. Just visit the Imaginary Network on Reddit, pick a picture you like and try to create an adventure around it.

 

Other peoples’ games

There is an incredible amount of people playing tabletop RPGs on the Internet these days. Watching someone else play not only gives you content ideas but also advice on how to become a better Dungeon Master. However, you should not try mimicking someone’s style. You should note things you like and try incorporating them into your own.

 

Social Media in general

There are a lot of people that talk about their games, offer advice or even new content. So sometimes I just visit Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus or a blog and just browse. Sharing ideas and listening to other people’s opinions can be quite inspirational from time to time.

 

And these are some of the things I use when I need to get inspiration. I hope you will find them as helpful as I have. Tomorrow’s question is: “What historical character would you like in your group? For what game?”

So until then, have fun!