QUOTE (Wounded Ronin @ Aug 13 2015, 05:26 AM)

I think playing with graphics is time consuming and hard and will probably look cheesy as hell if you're not really good at it. I'd stick with creepy recordings and good writing.
That's kind of what I was afraid of initially, which is why I was hoping for a convenient program. I do plan on writing most of the missions, which will be time consuming enough without wasting hours in photoshop.
It shouldn't be too hard to write up some faux news to announce even if the players don't get to read it and peruse it at their leisure. I used to have a player that had a lot of trouble following my verbose descriptions, so I've become used to succinct 2-3 sentence descriptions for even my most important parts and writing out anything huge. But now Its dawning on me that I don't have to accommodate him anymore.
QUOTE (Sendaz @ Aug 13 2015, 07:43 AM)

While not exactly what you are needing, you could use the
Cyberpunk city generator to generate a setup that you can then spin some news off of.
So for example:
Boost is an American “old city” that has gained increased prominence due to neoliberal reforms and a favorable corporate environment.
The city is controlled by a democratically elected Mayor. The current Mayor, Sonja, accepts bribes from Apex Frontiers and is focused on stimulating the economy. Corporations are given generous subsidies and assistance to create jobs. Sonja is a Punctilious Charmer.
Armed vigilante gangs make up the core of law enforcement of Boost. These gangs are very unprofessional, but are highly dedicated to protecting “law and order”. The police is trying to eliminate Swartz's Army, an illegal terrorist group seeking to violate copyright law by producing counterfeit goods and services. The leader of this group is Chin Tai, a Burned-out Workaholic. According to police records, Chin Tai is being funded by Goldmund-Teller.
The education system in Boost specializes in the humanities; employees are experts in philosophy and ethical decision-making, but lack basic math and science skills.
Boost has a booming industrial sector, but its environmental record is horrible.
-----------------------------------------------
So from this you could create news sound bites relating to the details above, so rather than having tons of threads to follow you can follow a few key news stories for continuity.
will keep looking...
I love this actually. My game is taking place in Seattle and one of the biggest things I'm aiming for is making it feel
big. A lot of those generated details I'm going to use for outlying towns or neighborhoods in Seattle. Its going to be a sandbox game so random generators like this that actually fit the theme are wonderful.
QUOTE (Sn00py @ Aug 13 2015, 09:12 AM)

Using pics for every NPC is a really simple but effective way to make everything a little more real. When you're preparing the run, think of an actor or character from a film who more or less matches up with how you imagine your NPC looks, then internet image search (pinterest is good for this) and print out a small pic - you can note stats on the back. I find it really helps players visualise who they're dealing with and it makes the relationship between them mean a bit more. I also keep a bunch of stock pics for gang members, cops, civilians etc that can be recycled for minor characters in different runs.
I actually have a pinterest with ~800 character pictures. Most of them aren't actors because I tend to avoid recognizable faces. I do prefer photographs because duh realistic proportions and detail, but I have art for mages and deckers actually doing their stuff which is cool. I have a few other sections too like drones, creatures, and locations. My plan is to prop my tablet up on the other side of the GM screen with a gallery of NPCs, locations, and relevant items to flip through when I call for it. I have a fuck ton of note cards for stat blocks too
https://www.pinterest.com/Seattle2072/I mentioned this game is going to be in the sandbox style, which I find to be the style in where its most difficult to keep players engaged. If you turn them loose to find their own plot they often kind of struggle. I'm hoping it'll be different for my group, but one way I'm planning on driving the game is through NPCs. Groups tend to form weird attachments to NPCs I never would have thought, so I'm gonna flesh out as many as I can and just throw them at the party until one sticks.
Which means character art, goals, personalities, and motives for a whole cast of NPCs, which is a lot of work.