Issue #333 of the Roleplaying Tips newsletter is all about different ways to use cards in your games. The tips involve both blank and non-blank cards, including the rather nifty idea of using tarot cards to generate adventures (which ties in nicely with Flip Through a Book, Build a World).
Other TT tie-ins include Homemade Initiative Index Cards, Post-it Sortable Cards for GMs, Tools of the Trade: Index Cards and Use Index Cards and a Cork Board for Game Prep.
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I’ve used my Crowley deck for similar things. I’ve also used the card game “Once upon a Time” to build adventures, and to practice thinking on my feet.
Following is an excerpt from an article I wrote (Wich I need to refine further) on adaptive game mastering.
“For example; Draw 5 normal cards, and an end. Heck, even pick 5 normal cards and an end, and shuffle the rest. Take a few minutes, and craft a story around those. That’s your adventure.
Now, after every card you play in running your ‘adventure’, draw a random one that you must incorporate into the story. This is something that came up because a player did something. You can choose to incorporate and get back on track. You can choose to change tracks and the roles of cards that will follow. It’s your choice, and you get to practice. But you can work towards an ending.
As a side note, if you really want to work on adapting, change the ending card randomly as well. Heh. It’ll keep you on your toes.
Now, I am not saying you have to go grab this game if you want to be an adaptive GM. I am saying it helps. Start telling a story and have someone interject things into it. If you have kids, or have friends who have kids, you probably have done this, or can at will.”
The more I game the more uses I find for index and other card types as a GM tool. Recently I have started to extend that practice to the players. I know longer have the players write down items on their character sheets, but I instead give them a card. It makes play faster, and there is somethign about receiving or having a card taken away from you that makes the situation more tangible. If the item is destroyed I might even rip the card in half for dramatic effect (only if the player won’t perceive it as my rubbing it in that the item was destroyed). Cards are a tool that are cheap to implement but really make a game flow better in many cases.
Of course as mentioned in the article itself, Everway is the supreme example where the inspiration for the game and character generation and much of the resolution mechanic is based upon the use of fantasy art cards of various types. Ran a session of this for the first time a month back. Had a fantastic time. Character generation in itself was highly enjoyable. This approach is so different and so suggestive. For those who like story telling, spontenaity and being up for surprises, I would recommend this game.
For setup I my roleplaying games the main pro I use is a dry erase board that I draw on set up battles and all other sorts of things. That being said… I’ve been toying ith the idea of laminating index cards. The cards should work with dry erase markers. This makes them reusable. They would be perfect for the consumable items that my PCs carry. The other part is I can give them treasure on the card and as they appraise it they add it onto the card or annote whatever they want onto the card itself.
ex. First the card is handed out Silver and gold ring with engraaving under the band.
They touch the ring it feels colder than what the ring should they annote onto the card colder that it should be.
Later they Discover it is magic but not hat it does so they erase the discription to unidentified magic ring cold to the touch.
Finally the discover it is a ring of fire resistance. They erase again and write down ring of Fire resistance.
Ooooh, laminated index cards. That’s almost too high tech, but I love it! 😉