Props are as old as gaming. One of the first props was the use of miniatures. Not only did miniatures help determine where combatants were on a battle map (which itself is a prop), but they also helped players conceptualize a character's appearance. Other common props include GM screens with appropriate pictures facing the players, using playing cards or tarot cards instead of dice, and dressing up as your character in a LARP.

I like to use a lot of props in my games. I find that they help enhance the atmosphere and add new dimensions to an RPG session. Conversely, improperly used props, even good ones, can actually detract from the game. Below I’ve listed a number of props that have shown up at my gaming table and discuss the pros and cons. I hope you find them useful.

Introductory Cutaways

An introductory cutaway is a short piece of fiction (usually 1-3 pages) that describes a scene that takes place just before the adventure. I used this prop when I ran a 7th Sea campaign, and it is one of the most fondly remembered elements of that campaign. An introductory cutaway, while metagaming (since virtually all of them take place when PCs aren't present), can give insight into an NPC, set the tone of the adventure, flesh out a PC's or NPC's background, and highlight the NPCs that will be prominent in the adventure.

The cons of this are obvious. First, you have to be careful not to tip your hand and give the PCs too much information. Don't give away the villain's master plan before the PCs have a chance to investigate it. Second, you have to be extremely careful if you choose to flesh out a PC's background. Players are notoriously territorial about this sort of thing, and you're asking for trouble if you add a new dimension to a PC without the player's consent. Third, scripting the fiction takes time, and that might be time better spent on something else. Finally, a short piece of fiction must be read. Unless you plan on reading the scene out loud, make sure you have plenty of copies available (preferably one per player). Players read at different speeds, so you may find yourself wasting a lot of time with this prop.

Opening Montage

Using Powerpoint, a laptop, and a flatscreen monitor, I created an opening montage for a couple of my campaigns. This montage consisted of a slide show that included the campaign title, episode title, appropriate scenery, and the names and pictures of the player characters (sometimes I included regular NPCs and special guest stars). All of this was set to a theme song. When I was ready to start the session, I simply turned on the montage.

Like the Introductory Cutaway, the Opening Montage can offer snippets of information. An episode title can tip the players off about some aspect of the episode (the classic Doctor Who series was notorious for this, with titles like "Genesis of the Daleks", "Revenge of the Cybermen", and "The Robots of Death"). Special Guest Stars can also tip off the PCs as to who will be important in the current episode. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it helps the players focus on important NPCs.

The cons of this are obvious. If your story is a mystery, using the title "The Butler Did It" is going to end your adventure very quickly. Also, since players will gravitate towards "spotlighted NPCs", they may overlook important NPCs that weren’t in the opening montage.

Famous Shorthand

I mentioned this one in an earlier column, but it's worth mentioning again. In many campaigns, I ask my players who their character looks like. While this is often an actor, other celebrities or historical figures are also used. "She looks like Jessica Alba in a trench coat" evokes a much clearer picture than ten minutes of description. With my laptop/monitor rig, I'm able to flash appropriate pictures across the screen as well.

There are cons to this. First, you can waste several hours online trying to come up with the perfect celebrity to portray your character. Second, your choice may have unintended consequences, based on how the player feels about a particular celebrity. You may decide that Tom Cruise is perfect for your slick, handsome smuggler, but you might not have anticipated that your session would come to a screeching halt due to an abundance of Scientology jokes whenever you flash his face across the screen. This can also be a plus. I once had a player who was infatuated with Jessica Alba. When I wanted this player to fall for an NPC, I simply used Ms. Alba's likeness for the NPC.

Mounted Dry Erase Board

This one isn't mine, but I played in a campaign where the GM used it. He had a dry erase board mounted on his wall, and he used it for notes, quick maps, and combat positioning. It worked very well.

The obvious con is having a place to mount it. This GM had a dedicated "gaming room", the kind we all dreamt about while we sat in our parent's basement and went through puberty slaying dragons. Secondly, if you're a GM that runs a game at someone else's place, it can be difficult to carry around.

Music

This is another "classic" gaming prop. It helps set atmosphere and mood. Many PCs and NPCs can also have their own "theme music". If you're playing a campaign based on movies or television shows (e.g. Star Wars, Babylon 5, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), then using official soundtracks will reinforce the setting. The age of downloadable music has also created "music on demand", enabling GMs to quickly change music to suit particular scenes. I actually had a compact disc of Star Wars sound effects, which I put on my laptop and used when appropriate during the session (blaster sound effects, the Imperial march, Cantina music).

There are many cons to using music. First, there are some players that may be too distracted by the music to play. I have a friend who's hard of hearing, and the music irritated him. Second, the music may actually slow a game down, as the GM pauses the game as he runs through his Napster play list to find that perfect song (I suggest making lots of playlists). Third, the players may find the music inappropriate and detracting (I love the movie Ladyhawke, but I find the electronic music jarring).

Letters and Emails

If one of my players uncovers an email or letter, I usually have a printed copy that I can hand her. This gives the players something tangible to look at, and I sometimes bury another clue within the letter. I've also used this technique for posters and the back cover blurb of a paperback novel.

There aren't many cons to this except that you should keep your letters short; otherwise you’ll fall into the same traps as the introductory cutaways.

Digital Scenic Visual Aids

Using my laptop/monitor rig, I’ll sometimes provide pictures for my players that evoke a scene. If the players are heading to the British Museum, I may throw up a photo of the building. You don't need to have a picture for every location; if your Call of Cthulhu adventure takes place in a New England fishing village, a picture of a village dock will be enough to evoke the atmosphere.

The biggest con here is the time wasted calling up pictures and displaying them. If at all possible, make sure you have the appropriate files where you can easily retrieve them. I had a tendency to dump all of my files (including my NPCs) in a single folder. After a few sessions, it became tough to find particular files.

Keeping Kosher

Props really can enhance a game. Just make sure that you don't let them slow down a cracking session.

Good Gaming!