Real Life

[afrodave]

How many of you use real life events in your campaign?
Whether historical or contemporary? Do you use events from the news or just fictional events from your campaign?
I myself try to use as much real life fact as I can cram into my story, mostly because I'm mixing in a lot Conspiracy and Near-Future events in a game that takes place in 2010. (This used to seem so far away) But I like using the real events because it helps make the fantastic elements of my game more believable.

[Black Cheese]

Events? Not so much. Inspiration? Constantly.

For example, I read an article in the LA Times magazine West that discussed contaminated wated on Native American reservations because of strip-mining. (The article also discussed the use of ridiculously monstrous dump trucks, which tapped my inner 5-year-old ruthlessly.) This became the basis for a lengthy Dark Inheritance mission about corruption, terror, and pathos among one of America's most neglected peoples.

It also ended with a really cool fight scene in the New Mexico desert that saw a titan with big-ass revolver down a helo. Awesome.

I regularly order Fortean Times via my comic book shop just so I have wacky yet real events to throw at players.

[Gentry]

I like a sense of history within the organization the PCs work for, and usually ground their organization in actual history somehow, if only so that they can feel like they actually belong in the world.

[ThunderMonkey]

For sci-fi settings I really like to refer to my Time Life Old West books.

I have also refered to other newspapers from around the world and around the U.S. to garner ideas.

[Psion]

Events? Not so much. Inspiration? Constantly.

Yeah. I try to ground my fictional history in real history, but the closer things get to contemporary times, the less events have to do with the real world. This is, in no small part, because I don't court the possibility of talking hot button current political events at the table.

[Argonnite]

http://www.globalincidentmap.com/home.php

is one place I check for real life ideas.

[Psion]

http://www.globalincidentmap.com/home.php

is one place I check for real life ideas.

 

Whoa. That is a pretty nifty resource.

Bathhouse explosion in Tokyo... boat collision in china. Sounds like some agents are romping around in Asia.

[Psion]

Here's a suspicious event that might remind you of Goldeneye:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070620/sc_nm/chile_lake_dc_1

[VisualStatic]

http://www.globalincidentmap.com/home.php

is one place I check for real life ideas.

Oh, thank you... that is a sweet little site.   The ideas are a flowin' now....

[Crafty_Alex]

Since my group uses literally everything available from the Craftyverse, I run a time-travel campaign. I've found grounding adventures in the framework of world changing times (such as the highest tensions between the SWAPO army and South Africa in the 60's, or the summer preceding the fall of the Berlin Wall) have given the players an easy reference point and heightened the drama and the importance of their missions in the players' minds.

[Mister Andersen]

Which raises the question of what your Chrononaut looks like...

[GlassJaw]

http://www.globalincidentmap.com/home.php

is one place I check for real life ideas.

This is one of the coolest.sites.ever, well for game ideas anyway.   

[Crafty_Pat]

This is one of the coolest.sites.ever, well for game ideas anyway.   

Amen. It's a veritable goldmine!

[Psion]

UPDATE/THREAD NECRO

Grrr. Dropped by globalincidentmap.com and... they gimped it. They still show the map an event sites, but no event summaries unless you pay their exorbitant subscription fee.

[Gentry]

Fie on them.  And thanks for the heads-up.