When I GM, I look for stories in all media that inspire me, that make me want to give players the same feelings that a great story gave me. I don't know if this is how everybody GMs, but I truly believe that the most sincere form of flattery is imitation. I love to take the best, leave the rest and allow my stories to become a beautiful patchwork of original and inspired ideas.
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That is why I would like to start a thread where we all can document great sources of inspiration for GMing Shattered.а
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For starters, the video games in the Bioshock trilogy are dark and deliciously steampunk, yetаdoes not rely on overused tropes (some people think steampunk is all about putting useless gears on things). аIf anyone reading this has not played them, would you kindly go and find a copy of Bioshock at a nearby gaming store and play it through? You won't regret it.а
While I have not played much, what I have seen of the Fallout games is full of great alternate history and ostentatious weapons like the crank operatedаlaser rifle. A good source for weapon and creature descriptions, at the very least.а
Clearly, a massive influence on the Stitch system is what some consider the first steampunk story ever, Frankenstein. The movie Victor Frankenstein is a fun inspiration as well. а
The movie with Will Smith called Wild Wild West has a hilariously tacky coal-powered villain named Lovelace who travels in style in a giant mechanical spider, who could make an interesting Mastermind.а
In the anime Fullmetal Alchemist, they use a complex system of runes and equivalent exchangeаfor a magic-esque force that they channel through the scientific process called alchemy, that is how I plan on describing Arkфna in Shattered. I won't change the mechanics, simply the fluff. This gives the game a different vibe than D&D, where it is hard to throw a rock without hitting something magical. Also, the prosthetics in FMA are really freaking awesome.а
Lastly, I recently listened to a story from the podcast Escape Pod that I found very inspiring. Here is episode 466: Checkmate. This story is one of the best short stories I have heard in a while, and it really stuck with me. I am currently toying with the idea of having the countries in my world for Shattered conduct their battles using 16 specialized combatants on each side. "A civilized age requires civilized warfare!"
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I would love to see posts from the you people reading this about what has inspired you and what might inspire youаfor a future campaigns!
а
That is why I would like to start a thread where we all can document great sources of inspiration for GMing Shattered.а
а
For starters, the video games in the Bioshock trilogy are dark and deliciously steampunk, yetаdoes not rely on overused tropes (some people think steampunk is all about putting useless gears on things). аIf anyone reading this has not played them, would you kindly go and find a copy of Bioshock at a nearby gaming store and play it through? You won't regret it.а
While I have not played much, what I have seen of the Fallout games is full of great alternate history and ostentatious weapons like the crank operatedаlaser rifle. A good source for weapon and creature descriptions, at the very least.а
Clearly, a massive influence on the Stitch system is what some consider the first steampunk story ever, Frankenstein. The movie Victor Frankenstein is a fun inspiration as well. а
The movie with Will Smith called Wild Wild West has a hilariously tacky coal-powered villain named Lovelace who travels in style in a giant mechanical spider, who could make an interesting Mastermind.а
In the anime Fullmetal Alchemist, they use a complex system of runes and equivalent exchangeаfor a magic-esque force that they channel through the scientific process called alchemy, that is how I plan on describing Arkфna in Shattered. I won't change the mechanics, simply the fluff. This gives the game a different vibe than D&D, where it is hard to throw a rock without hitting something magical. Also, the prosthetics in FMA are really freaking awesome.а
Lastly, I recently listened to a story from the podcast Escape Pod that I found very inspiring. Here is episode 466: Checkmate. This story is one of the best short stories I have heard in a while, and it really stuck with me. I am currently toying with the idea of having the countries in my world for Shattered conduct their battles using 16 specialized combatants on each side. "A civilized age requires civilized warfare!"
а
I would love to see posts from the you people reading this about what has inspired you and what might inspire youаfor a future campaigns!