Has anyone tried to put together a news letter for Sandpoint to help players more fully immerse themselves into town life? I was thinking of writing short articles (2 or 3 per news letter) covering news and other aspects of life in Sandpoint that I don't ever seem to have time to explore in a regular game. I thought it might be cool if we pool short little articles (or even just raw ideas for one) so GMs can create their own news letters without too much fuss. The articles should be about anything you would find in a typical news paper. Thanks.
Nice idea! Maybe it should be in the format of public notices that might be pinned up around the town, such as at the Town Hall, Mercantile League etc.
Nice idea! Maybe it should be in the format of public notices that might be pinned up around the town, such as at the Town Hall, Mercantile League etc.
Sounds cool to me. I was thinking just enough notices/articles that could fill one page, maybe use illustrator or photoshop to make it look authentic (I'm not good with that stuff but maybe someone else could run with it).
I think Yossarian's idea is a bit more realistic. I doubt a town as small as Sandpoint would have their own newsletter, unless it was operated not for profit. Magnimar might have one for itself and the surrounding area though. That would open up a bit of room for foreshadowing.
I think Yossarian's idea is a bit more realistic. I doubt a town as small as Sandpoint would have their own newsletter, unless it was operated not for profit. Magnimar might have one for itself and the surrounding area though. That would open up a bit of room for foreshadowing.
Whatever you prefer. The idea is to come up with bits of mundane news to help introduce NPCs and gossip to the players without info dumping. It could be something as mundane as a bake sale. Or even obituaries.
Another option would be to have a town crier who stands at regular intervals in various places, reading from a scroll from the Mayor's Office. You could write up the scroll.
Also: as published, there is a public bulletin board in the Rusty Dragon where people can post announcements and hiring notices. You could use that as the venue.
Another option would be to have a town crier who stands at regular intervals in various places, reading from a scroll from the Mayor's Office. You could write up the scroll.
Also: as published, there is a public bulletin board in the Rusty Dragon where people can post announcements and hiring notices. You could use that as the venue.
The crier sounds cool but I want to be able to hand the players something that they can read on their own, especially concerning things that don't normally get addressed during a typical game. Just look through any small town paper and the types of stories that are written. Here's an example:
Congratulations to Arny Hammerstout for being the 24th patron at the Hagfish to swill down a full pint of Nora's tank water. The winning purse was 25 silver pieces. Already donations for a new winning purse is piling up. Jargie Quinn, the proprietor of the Hagfish, has sweetened the deal with a free seafood platter for the next winning contestant.
Now the PCs know about the Hagfish and that there is a drinking contest of some sort with a prize. They can pursue this or not at their leisure.
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I am running this AP for some friends next month and had a very similar idea. This is what I came up with.
The campaign will be online, although I don't see why this can't work for an in-person campaign also. I wrote my own Pathfinder persona into the town. I did this by setting up an e-mail list using google groups. A few days before each session, I will email the players and recap what happened in the last session and include a short article from the "Sandpoint Herald" which is a mockery of journalism as far as local news publications go.
The Sandpoint Herald is a local newsprinting publication run by a wirey half-orc named Mortikar. It is a one-man operation from his home on Gull St. Larger daily publications from nearby Magnimar and Riddleport scoff at Mortikar's 2-bit operation, saying he can never keep the tone of his printings on track, not to mention his poor grasp of the Common language, very irregular printings, and high price for each bi-weekly issue.
Mortikar is quite humble about his business prowess, or lack thereof, but do not question his journalistic integrity, lest you find yourself the target of his next smear campaign, which seem to be the only thing that sells these days. He writes about important events, local rumors, notable figures, or simple rants about the horrible noise local workers at the Glassworks tend to make outside of his home business when on their lunch breaks.
Additionally, the email will include a question for the PC's characters. Perhaps something like "What did you dream about last night?" or "How do you feel about the way Lonjiku Kaijitsu treats his daughter?" The PCs only need answer the question with one or two sentences. As a reward for participating, they receive neat in-game rewards. Maybe a single free reroll on anything during that session. I got this idea from a GMing guide on the interwebs somewhere.
Also, the email list functions as a reminder for the next session and an RSVP system to know who's coming and who can't make it that week.
I am running this AP for some friends next month and had a very similar idea. This is what I came up with.
The campaign will be online, although I don't see why this can't work for an in-person campaign also. I wrote my own Pathfinder persona into the town. I did this by setting up an e-mail list using google groups. A few days before each session, I will email the players and recap what happened in the last session and include a short article from the "Sandpoint Herald" which is a mockery of journalism as far as local news publications go.
The Sandpoint Herald is a local newsprinting publication run by a wirey half-orc named Mortikar. It is a one-man operation from his home on Gull St. Larger daily publications from nearby Magnimar and Riddleport scoff at Mortikar's 2-bit operation, saying he can never keep the tone of his printings on track, not to mention his poor grasp of the Common language, very irregular printings, and high price for each bi-weekly issue.
Mortikar is quite humble about his business prowess, or lack thereof, but do not question his journalistic integrity, lest you find yourself the target of his next smear campaign, which seem to be the only thing that sells these days. He writes about important events, local rumors, notable figures, or simple rants about the horrible noise local workers at the Glassworks tend to make outside of his home business when on their lunch breaks.
Additionally, the email will include a question for the PC's characters. Perhaps something like "What did you dream about last night?" or "How do you feel about the way Lonjiku Kaijitsu treats his daughter?" The PCs only need answer the question with one or two sentences. As a reward for participating, they receive neat in-game rewards. Maybe a single free reroll on anything during that session. I got this idea from a GMing guide on the interwebs somewhere.
Also, the email list functions as a reminder for the next session and an RSVP system to know who's coming and who can't make it that week.
Sounds like a neat approach. One of the things I am going to implement is the awarding of experience to PCs who write letters to NPCs (or other PCs). The object is to help establish relationships and to solidify identity for both the PC and NPC. Letters to the editor of the news letter will also be rewarded.