VDS Game Prep

#1

This is kind of a random post. My process is so different for VDS prep than any other game I’ve run. I’m wondering what process other folks use because I am curious about how ideas transform into story.

Here’s my process for VDS:

  1. Make a list of the scenes for the session. Loosely defined by a title (e.g., “Awakening”, “Red Monolith”, “Annihilator Chase”, etc.). Very little detail but more about the vibe.
  2. Put together the soundtrack (there is so much good music on Bandcamp… I’m going nuts… plus Hank’s VDS soundtrack). The soundtrack helps to start the process of fleshing out a few more details about the scene.
  3. Find images to represent the scenes and consider different encounters in each scene as possibilities.
  4. Craft some “Urthy” descriptions for the scene (while listening to the soundtrack).
  5. Develop the challenges for a scene along with simple mechanics for the encounter.
  6. One important thing I realized during my last session is to come up with “666” tables. We had nine of them rolled during our Carson’s Truck session!

Almost the entire structure is built upon the music and I love that bit about this game prep. Rock on!

#2

Yep , story boards always help!
Like a film, it’s all the sake of entertainment and entertaining your fellow players/friends! If not they will end up just getting drunk and rehashing old takes! :laughing:
Bandcamp is a wonderful start! I like voivod’s war and pain! Two tracks in particular “Black City” and “Nuclear War”
Have :star_struck: fun

#3

I haven’t run VDS (only played one little session so far), but my planning for every game tends to go in a loose “tree” of choices format. I want to make certain that the players are faced with interesting choices that have consequences beyond the survival of the PCs.