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<blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 9109181" data-attributes="member: 19675">It’s only been touched on a little bit, but manipulating the gaming environment can accentuate the vibe, and sometimes, that pays dividends.So, removing something like a plushie Cthulhu from the room takes away a visual reassuring cue.&nbsp; Dimming the lights (a little) if possible can ratchet up unease…especially if you can do so by remote control.My fave?&nbsp; Appropriate music and/or SFX.&nbsp; I own some natural sound CDs with things like swamp sounds or thunderstorms that came in handy for helping set the tone.&nbsp; And once, Black Sabbath’s “Children of the Grave” came on just as the D&amp;D party hit a graveyard- completely coincidentally, but it still made the players a bit more on edge.That experience led me to use Kodo’s “The Hunted”* as background music to an encounter where the party (D&amp;D again) had been stripped naked and told they were going to be hunted for sport as a reward for being brave and capable warriors when their ship was attacked ad they were taken hostage…unlike the crew.&nbsp; They were captured and rotisseried.&nbsp; Their only hope for survival was making it to the other side of the island hunting preserve.&nbsp; To spice the hunt up a bit, their gear was scattered around the jungle for them to find.The party was released and given a head start.&nbsp; Kodo’s song signaled the beginning of the hunting.&nbsp; When I pressed “Play” and the music started, one player noticed the change, “Does my character hear that?”“Yes, you ALL do.”“That’s the signal the hunt has begun?”“Yes.”The players’ reactions were better than I could have imagined: voice pitch &amp; volume went up, people talked more rapidly, people talked over each other and even got testy.&nbsp; It was a genuine stress reaction.*[MEDIA=youtube]CntHnSx0L4Q[/MEDIA]Doing it again, I might use this instead:[MEDIA=youtube]C7HL5wYqAbU[/MEDIA]</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Dannyalcatraz, post: 9109181, member: 19675"] It’s only been touched on a little bit, but manipulating the gaming environment can accentuate the vibe, and sometimes, that pays dividends. So, removing something like a plushie Cthulhu from the room takes away a visual reassuring cue. Dimming the lights (a little) if possible can ratchet up unease…especially if you can do so by remote control. My fave? Appropriate music and/or SFX. I own some natural sound CDs with things like swamp sounds or thunderstorms that came in handy for helping set the tone. And once, Black Sabbath’s “Children of the Grave” came on just as the D&D party hit a graveyard- completely coincidentally, but it still made the players a bit more on edge. That experience led me to use Kodo’s “The Hunted”* as background music to an encounter where the party (D&D again) had been stripped naked and told they were going to be hunted for sport as a reward for being brave and capable warriors when their ship was attacked ad they were taken hostage…unlike the crew. [I]They[/I] were captured and rotisseried. Their only hope for survival was making it to the other side of the island hunting preserve. To spice the hunt up a bit, their gear was scattered around the jungle for them to find. The party was released and given a head start. Kodo’s song signaled the beginning of the hunting. When I pressed “Play” and the music started, one player noticed the change, “Does my character hear that?” “Yes, you ALL do.” “That’s the signal the hunt has begun?” “Yes.” The players’ reactions were better than I could have imagined: voice pitch & volume went up, people talked more rapidly, people talked over each other and even got testy. It was a genuine stress reaction. * [MEDIA=youtube]CntHnSx0L4Q[/MEDIA] Doing it again, I might use this instead: [MEDIA=youtube]C7HL5wYqAbU[/MEDIA] [/QUOTE]

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