Immersion Through Touch…

Physical props are amazing.  Touch can also come to players acting their characters and actively touching each other, if they are comfortable doing so.  But I’m referring more to things like here’s the Scroll of Omnaboogus, the Neck Bone of Tarctura, or the Candle of Fresia. Actually supply these things.  I’ll cover crafting various bits and bobs in other posts, but get creative.

A warning though.  This can gets stupidly dangerous.  Actual bladed weapons, things like shark teeth in jaws, cacti, can be incredibly cool, but you really don’t want band aids to become one of the more important gaming supplies you have on hand.

But telling someone there are 6 envelopes before them and choosing one or actually physically placing six envelopes before them and choosing one are radically different experiences.  If you can make the players grab, touch and hold, wonderful things happen, as they are taking these actions in character.

Physical puzzles, things that need to be manipulated like out of an escape room, are also great to add to immersion.  Now, sometimes, moving stones on a wall needs to be handled as a puzzle in an app or something, but if you can make the players physically manipulate objects, they are using their body to become their character.  That’s super immersive.

Now let’s get weird.  Environment. Yes. Wind.  Heat. Cold. Humidity. If that dungeon is stifling hot, bring in that electric heater.  Again, safety first, boys and girls. But get crazy. If you can actually go play in the forest, great.  If not, bring a fan, some pine scent and the sound of bird and you are practically there.