GM Color And Spice

[Water Bob]

We all know that good GMs add color and spice to the gaming universe, always describing vivid sights and smells.

Why not share some of those atmosphere boosters among ourselves?


For example, the next time your PC's are going through the pockets of a downed foe, how about the characters finding human teeth in one of the foe's pouches?


Or, let's say a Ranger is leading the party across the foothills of a large mountain range, and quickly (don't bog the game down with this), the Ranger is described as taking strips of meat from an animal kill, wrapping them in cloth, then lining the insides of his boots with it. "The Ranger will wink at you, 'It will be the most tender you've ever had, I'll grant you that!'"

Or, better yet, let the PCs find the meat inside the shoes of a downed foe and let them figure it out!


What can you add? What kind of atmosphere boosters do you have in your tool bag?

 

[Oversquid]

Personally, I try to encourage my players to come up with the atmosphere boosters themselves while I try and roll with the punches they throw at me. Still, I came up with a few myself that I am proud of.

At one point, my players found themselves in a gnomish town and found some of the names of the shops such as "Tinkytonk's Musical Instruments and Explosives Testing Facility" The whole place was a noise fest, with explosive potions called "Distilled Noise" being tossed around and other gnomes that blare Alp-horns 24/7.

Another place I'm proud of making is "The Smithery", which is basically a Blacksmith's shop organized and run as a Bakery/Deli. So theres tables and benches laid out with Soot and Pewter shakers (Don't ask how that's possible) on each table, and behind the counter's glass has all manners of armor and weapons in place of cakes. Of course, the Smithery makes weapons and armor to order, and quickly.

I'm not sure this fits with the theme of this thread, but here you go.

 

[Unwise]

One little tip that I use is to make sure that I have them interact very briefly with townsfolk every now and then. It lets them know how much they have levelled up. Have the local mayor come out to meet them if they are well known enough. Have the sherrif meet them at the gates if they are armed strangers coming into his town. The local townsfolk will normally have a strong reaction one way or another to a bunch of armed (and probably freakish) people coming into town.

A classic example of this is the characters beat up a guy in the middle of the city, stripped him off an dragged him naked through the streets back to their base to interrogate him. The local constable saw them. His reaction? "Hmm, I trust there is a good reason for this gentlemen? ... I want to see that guy alive in the morning." Then he whistled and continued on his patrol. Sometimes it pays to to be well known heroes.