Role-playing Rants: How to best immerse yourself in the game?

I've finally managed to get through my writer's block. Without further ado I give you another one of my RPG rants, this time about a very important thing - immersion.

I will be mainly using the example of my most often played title - Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Also take note - this article is not for veterans, who have decades of RP'ing behind them, and know every trick in the book. As most of my posts of this type, I am aiming it towards those who are new to the hobby, who only begin to experience it, and could use any help in doing so. I see a lot of people lately, just starting with RPG's and not knowing almost anything about this hobby. If posts like this one will help them, then I know that my work is worth something.

Helping others is always cool (image taken from 'Souls Comprehensive Roleplay Guide)

So... how to immerse yourself during a game? The more important question is: should you immerse yourself at all? Personally I wouldn't be regularly playing these games for the last 11 years if I would not always jump head first into them, and allow myself to get completely submerged in the rich and fantastic lore and atmosphere of many, make-believe worlds. I always go for the full submersion, and, honestly, you should as well! I know that quite many people play role-playing games just to roll a few dice from time to time, drink a cold one, and kill a few goblins here and there.

To these people I say - good for you! I mean that, I know that not everyone wants to read a treaty about the differences between various Sigmarite cults, and how they've shaped the Empire in between the reign of Magnus the Pious and Karl Franz. For me, however, reading everything about the world, experiencing it, drinking it, is what I love, and always will about RPG's. If you're of a similar mind, here are a few tips about how to better experience the role-playing, and get as much fun from it as possible.

1. Read

These guys have been more than helpful, during my GM's block (yes, there is something like that).

That's it, there's no catch here. Read everything you can about your game. I don't mean the rules (these you should know, obviously). I mean the lore, and all things surrounding it. When I started playing WFRP regularly, back in 2008, I've already read the entire Gotrek and Felix saga for that time. After realising just how deep and intricate the lore for this game is, I've immediately started reading more books. The "Witch Hunter" series by C.L. Werner, as well as his excellent "Brunner" books helped me a lot. I've also grabbed as many WFB army books as possible, and checked the excellent Lexicanum site daily. That was not all, however. In the case of history-inspired setting like Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, it's also a great idea to read... history. Duh, I know, right?

The thing is not many people do. When I was writing my first campaign template, "Blood and Silver", I've finished a number of books and treaties concerning the art of war during the reneissance era. I've read a lot about naval battles in the XVIth century, as well as texts detailing the trade and commerce of that era. Everything helped and everything was useful to me, during my games of WFRP.

Audiobooks technically fall under this section, and I strongly urge you to listen to as many of them as possible. Not only will you learn a lot of new stuff, but you'll also be able to work on your accent and manierisms during games. Trust me, audiobooks have helped me a lot when it comes to GM'ing, ever since I've started to regularly listen to them. They're really worth it.

2. Watch

Seriously Sean? You came back for round 2? The review of "Black Death" was not to your liking, or something?

Movies, tv series, YouTube shorts. They will help you a lot. The excellent "Black Death" movie starring Sean Bean was really inspiring and influential during my latter games of WFRP. Every single historical and fantasy movie or show that I've watched was used by me, to some degree, during my sessions. The visual and audio spectrums of these media, as well as actors' manierisms, voice tones and even body language. I've been playing with my voice a lot during my games, and it's one of the things that my players enjoy the most during our sessions. Granted, most of my inspiration comes from the audiobooks that I listen to a lot, but "The Lord of the Rings", "Willow" and "Solomon Kane", as well as many other movies and tv series have all contributed greatly to my style as a gamemaster.

3. Listen

Tell me that's not one of the most metal things that you've ever seen...

Thanks to this hobby, I've discovered a ton of new music genres. Many of them helped to make my games even better. All sorts of epic music, like Two Steps from Hell, as well as New Retro Wave and Michael McCann's fantastic game soundtracks, have really made my sessions more memorable and enjoyable, both to me and my players. YouTube has a metric ton of legal tracks to utilise during your games, so don't be shy and always keep it open on your PC/Mac/mobile phone when you GM another game of grim and perilous adventure. You can, and should, experiment with music during games. Don't be afraid to break boundaries and experience new things. For myself, I will one day use a Synthwave soundtrack during my Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay games, and I know that it will be awesome.

I've already written an article about using YouTube during sessions, some time ago. I will, in the future, make a top 10 of my favorite bands and composers, whose work can benefit a game night greatly. Stay tuned (wink, wink).

Also - podcasts. Podcasts are your friends. They're run by (usually) very enthusiastic and passionate people, who know a lot about the games that they're covering during the episodes of their shows. The "Old World Podcast" and "Mud & Blood" are some of my favorite ones. Check them out and you won't be dissapointed.

4. Play

One of the only, few good things that actually came from the End Times...

Video games are your friends. "Vermintide" and "Darkest Dungeon" made me look at the Old World in a completely different way, ever since I've played them. "Total War: Warhammer" is probably the best thing that Warhammer Fantasy recieved in decades, and "Kingdom Come: Deliverance", as well as "A Plague Tale: Innocence" are both fantastic titles, just oozing that grim and dark atmosphere that so many people know and love. I consider video games to be my 4th most important source for inspiration for my games, and without them, many of my sessions would be not as memorable, as they've turned out to be. Of course you should be mindful what to play, as a lot of tie-in games are pure shit, mainly the mobile ones. That said, I've even used elements from the "Call of Duty" and "Deus Ex" series in my WFRP games, and they've worked more than fine.

Don't be afraid to experiment a little, and remember - if you won't try different things, you won't evolve as a gamer and a hobbyist. Don't get yourself trapped in medicority of using the same tricks and methods, that you've known for years. Learn, adapt, improve. Both yourself and those around you.

So there you have it, another rant. Hopefully it was useful, and will help quite a few people in their quest for enjoying RPG's even more. Since I was late with this post for almost a week, I will write another one next week. Sadly no news about the promised interview yet. I might just reach out to another person, since there wasn't one of these posts here for quite some time, eh? People seem to enjoy them, so I will make more, have no doubts about that.

Anyway... until next time!

Xathrodox86