I’ve been thinking about how to make our dressing-style materials easier to use in game. I’m a huge fan of dressing-style resources (as you may have spotted) but sometimes it isn’t practical to have several such books open during a game. Obviously, you can use them before the game but sometimes—when you are GMing on the fly or the characters do something unexpected—you want something you can hide in the module or behind your screen.

While I haven’t yet totally worked out how to implement this, I’ve been playing around with the concept of ten-second material. By this, I mean the kind of material a harried GM could read and understand in ten seconds or under. (And as an aside, it’s an interest challenge to provide flavoursome and useful material in such small bundles).

I think this format could be applied to many things you might find useful. For example:

An NPC

Kauko Ilma (CN old male human) staggers about haranguing crows, stray cats and annoying children. Mad, and crippled in a carting accident, Kauko leans on an ornate carven walking stick. He thinks, the crows and the cats are out to get him. He's right. 

A Shiny Treasure

Graven images of a man transforming into a werewolf decorate this silvered dagger. The weapon has a fist-shaped iron pommel and a short, tapered point. It comes in a forearm sheath of supple black leather set with a full moon image done in silver thread.

An Urban Locale

Kaleva’s Cuts hides a dark secret. Kaleva is a Braalite cultist and uses his butcher’s shop to dispose of his sacrifices’ remains. The shop backs onto a rowdy pub and the noise from its taproom masks any odd sounds coming from Kaleva’s workshop. 

A Dungeon Locale

The Yellow King—a mushroom of disturbing size and fecundity— dominates this muddy, rubble-choked cavern. As tall as an ogre the yellow- and red-capped mushroom is a veritable giant. Air heavy with decay-stench issues from this dismal, dank place. 

What Do You Think?

The idea of ten-second material is to provide inspiration you can use in-game to flesh out your session. Need an NPC? Need to describe a minor urban locale? Need a dungeon locale? Ten-Second material has got you covered. 

I’m toying with developing this idea into a series of one- or two-page themed micro-books in a similar vein to the old Monstrous Lair line. 

What do you think? Would you find this useful in game? Please let me know, by leaving a comment.