I'm going to be running a zombie game for my local group. We just got done with Spirit of the Century, and it was their first foray into something that wasn't D&D. They really liked trying something new, so now I'm going to run a zombie mod for Savage Worlds. This got me wondering about props that I could use for my games. For Spirit of the Century, I used poker chips for fate points. While poker chips didn't really fit the system, my group liked that there was something tangible to the game besides dice.

For my next game, I am looking to use more props for my group that will both enhance play and be fun for everybody. I'm specifically thinking about props for a zombie game, but any props that you have seen used in a tabletop RPG would be useful. As far as prop ideas that I have right now, I was thinking about using an area map so that the group can track the areas they have already explored. I would like to use something to represent resources such as children's toys of food, but I'm not sure what I'm going to use for that yet.

What props have you seen used in a RPG?
Were the props successful when you saw them used?

Gnome Stew has a great video on just this topic:



I need to start using them more because they effectively break down the wall between 'the real' and 'the pretend'. Never underestimate the power of the tactile.

For a zombie game I'd hit a party store and pick up some Halloween rubber limbs and organs and some cap guns. You can use tiny candy brains for action or hit points.

Dominoes have that similar heft that poker chips do and work great for terrain in warehouses and other grid-like spaces. With a zombie game, perhaps the pips on them can represent zombie hordes or the difficulty to pass through that square. [Blanks meaning no resistance.]
--
TAZ

If you're looking for bennies, I think Dan, Chad, etc. have used fake plastic bullets (out of a kids toy or something) as bennies in their Skies of Glass games. I like that idea for a zombie game - a little gritty and more directly applicable to the game you're playing.

I definitely approve of the area map, especially if you're setting it in a real place. Buy a map of the area and let your players mark all over it (a laminated one will be more expensive but more resilient.) I've seen this done before; when it's a real city that people can relate to, a city or town map feels very immediate. If at all possible, get a very detailed one, down to the level of neighborhood streets.

I don't like the idea of using something to represent food stores, actually. I think you'll end up with a pile of clutter and arguments about exactly how much you've got. However, if your game will involve collecting survivors, I might recommend getting some sort of cheap token (glass counters, green plastic army men, LEGO minifigs, etc.) for each survivor. When survivors join, you add to the array of survivors; and when they die, players have to take them out and put them somewhere. Let them stare at the graveyard of their mistakes for a while and see how much the tension ratchets up.

I feel that props should be an addition to the game and not something that can pull the attention from the actual game its self. The props I have seen effectively used during a game have included; notes that have been aged or burnt, the GM using a pipe to create a visual of a character, or lanterns for a lighting look. If you are doing a Zombie game something little like having a brain in a jar near the GM screen could go a long way to set the mood for the campaign. Things I think you should avoid are weapons and currency. The reason I think you should avoid weapons besides the possibility of turning your game into a LARP is that weapons in the hands of players turn into toys that will draw attention from the story the GM is attempting to tell. The reason I feel you should shy away from currency is strictly financial. If you take a moment to think about how many gold pieces the average character acquires the actual amount in something like paper dots will send you into the pore house and the sheer amount will clutter the gaming table to a crazy amount. To sum things up when props and table topping are involved you should stick to a few things that create ambiance and a few individual items that the players will handle and eventually give back.

I love props. Imagine playing a Fallout campaign. The DM is taking on the role of a salvager roaming the wastelands who you have decided to trade with. You the player pull out a dirty sack of bottlecaps and begin counting out fifty of them on the table as the greedy salvager watches with wide eyes. Maybe at the sight of all those bottlecaps that salvager decides it would be more profitable to just pull a gun on you......

Unless it's something I can print and hand out, I don't bother with props.

Minimalist gamer or cheap bastard? You decide!

We used .22 ammo for reload counters. A box of 50 was like $2.

The fun thing about that is since SoG is such a survival game (as would be a zombie game) and ammo was a scarce resource a bullet could be used as a bennie or an actual bullet.

My favourite props are cookies to use in place of figurines. You could make the zombie figs green and PC figs some other colour. Any sugar cookie recipe can be used, and you just make stick people of a useable size.