Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Kane
If I could run a "GM Training School", I would make Tarzan of the Apes - Tarzan book #1 of the 24 books in the Tarzan series by ERB - *required reading* for all TFT GMs; solely to learn how to effectively describe with 5 senses: the jungle, the atmosphere, head-hunting savages, and the dangerous wild animals therein, with a pulse-pounding descriptive style.
JK
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That one is definitely good. If, when being a DM, the player can just try to imagine him or herself in the scene being described, and remember all the things that he/she would see, smell, hear, and feel, it's easy to make the scene come alive. If you haven't ever BEEN in some of those situations, then taking the time to visit places that can simulate them for you is a must.
Unfortunately, I've been in deserts, jungles, swamps, mountains, arctic conditions and what not; however if you haven't, and can reach someplace like the Omaha Zoo (where they have bubbles of Jungle, Desert, Swamp, etc for the various animals to live in -- and which recreate those environments down to the relative humidity and the types of plants growing in them) it'll at least give you a sense for what that kind of terrain and environment is like. As far as dungeons go, you can visit places like Mammoth Cave or Carlsbad Caverns and get a sense for what it's like there -- at least to be in the deep underground. Besides, visiting these kinds of places is just tremendously fun! ;-)